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Here is an introduction to the case based on multiple recent Chinese media reports.

Incident Summary

Two depositors in Jilin Province, a woman named Chen Bing (pseudonym) and another named Wang Feng (pseudonym), found that their combined 18 million RMB in savings vanished from their accounts at the Fuyu Huimin Village Bank. The money was allegedly transferred away by a bank employee, who later attempted suicide. The case has sparked widespread concern about internal controls at small banks and the protection of depositors' rights.

How the Money Was Taken

The funds were allegedly stolen by a bank employee, Zhao Mouli, using her insider position. Her methods included:

  • Forgery and Unauthorized Card Replacement: Zhao allegedly forged clients' signatures, falsely reported their bank cards as lost, and applied for replacement cards without the depositors' knowledge or presence.
  • Transferring Funds: Once she had the new cards, she transferred the entire balances to her own account. She admitted to losing the money in the stock market.
  • Insider Assistance: The scheme reportedly involved non-compliant assistance from other colleagues at the bank to bypass standard security checks.

One depositor, Chen Bing, had deposited 10 million RMB in person at the counter, yet her card was reported lost and replaced just weeks later. The other, Wang Feng, had a similar experience with her 8 million RMB, but the bank has not yet provided her with transaction records showing where the money went.

Aftermath and Legal Proceedings

  • Criminal Charges: After the case came to light, Zhao Mouli was arrested. Public security authorities have filed charges against her for illegal absorption of public deposits and occupational embezzlement, and prosecutorial authorities have approved her arrest.
  • Suicide Attempt: Before being taken into custody, Zhao Mouli attempted suicide by poisoning and was rescued after emergency treatment.
  • Devastating Impact: Chen Bing stated that the lost 10 million RMB was her company's reserve fund. The inability to recover it has left her hundreds of employees without pay for months and pushed her business to the brink of bankruptcy.

The Bank's Response

Both before and after the original Fuyu Huimin Village Bank was merged into Jilin Rural Commercial Bank in December 2025, the institution has been slow to resolve the issue.

While the bank has internally acknowledged "employee violations" and "management negligence," its official position is that it must "wait for a judicial conclusion" before processing the depositors' claim. It has not provided a clear timeline or a definition of what that conclusion would be.

Legal and Regulatory View

Legal experts interviewed by media have widely stated that the bank is responsible for repaying the depositors, arguing:

  • The bank has a rigid obligation to guarantee the security of depositor funds.
  • An employee's criminal act of stealing from an account is legally considered an infringement on the bank's property, not directly on the depositor's rights, as the savings contract is between the depositor and the bank.
  • The bank's duty to repay cannot be postponed by the separate criminal proceedings against its employee. The bank should repay the depositors first and then seek recovery from its employee.

Financial regulatory authorities in Jilin have stated they have entered the case into a process for identifying financial violations but noted their powers are limited to coordination and supervision; they cannot force the bank to pay immediately.

Starting from April 28, 2026, the case has been widely reported, intensifying public debate on the responsibility of banks for risks caused by their own management failures. Depositors continue to await the return of their funds.