London banker Paras Shah suspended for allegedly stealing food from office canteen

A high-flying banker who reportedly earned more than £1 million a year was suspended over an alleged sandwich theft from his office canteen. The Indian-origin banker named Paras Shah was head of Citigroup's high-yield bond trading for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa Paras Shah allegedly stole food from the office canteen of the company's European headquarters in Canary Wharf, London. 

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The unusual theft

Skilled in trading, securities and risk management, Paras Shah's primary job was to match buyers and sellers of risky company debt, his LinkedIn bio said. As per media reports, the 31-year-old banker was suspended following numerous allegations that he had been stealing food from the office canteen. It is still unknown that how many sandwiches Shah is alleged to have stolen or over what period the alleged theft took place but he was abruptly suspended last month as Citi's head of high-yield bond trading for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. 

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Media reports suggest that Shah was suspended weeks before Citi was due to pay bonuses to senior staff. Shah's LinkedIn profile claims that he had previously worked with HSBC's fixed-income trading division scheme and spent seven-year with the British multinational bank before joining the American bank Citi. Shah's Facebook posts suggest that he enjoys a luxury lifestyle visiting places like Jordan and Peru for holidays. 

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Paras Shah is not the only banker who was caught in an act of misconduct. According to the international press, a London banker was sacked by Japan's Mizuho Bank after he was caught stealing a part worth £5 from a colleague's bike. In 2014, the Financial Conduct Authority banned a former BlackRock executive after he was found to have repeatedly dodged paying train fares for his commute. 

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