November 09, 2024 16:09 (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
Congress wants to return to power dividing castes: PM Modi in Maharashtra | Pakistan: 24 killed, over 30 injured in blast at Quetta railway station in Balochistan | Three coaches of Secunderabad-Shalimar Express train derail at Nalpur in West Bengal's Howrah | Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk briefly joins telephonic conversation between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy | K'taka yoga teacher escapes death, outsmarts kidnappers using breathing control skill after being molested, stripped
Fake SBI branch uncovered in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhapora; villagers duped of lakhs
Photo Courtesy: Pixabay

Fake SBI branch uncovered in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhapora; villagers duped of lakhs

| @indiablooms | 03 Oct 2024, 04:44 pm

Chhapora (MP): A fake State Bank of India (SBI) branch, operating in Chhapora, Madhya Pradesh, was uncovered after an inquiry by police and SBI officials on September 27, media reports said.

The scam had lured unsuspecting villagers into opening accounts and conducting transactions while offering jobs to unemployed individuals, according to an NDTV report.

The operation came to light after Ajay Kumar Agarwal, a villager, raised suspicions about the branch’s legitimacy, leading to an investigation by the manager of the nearby Dabra branch.

The fraud was confirmed when officials discovered that the "branch" had no official authorization, and the employees had been hired using counterfeit documents.

Four people, including Rekha Sahu, Mandir Das, and Pankaj—who posed as the branch manager—have been identified as the main accused in the scam.

These fraudsters had collected fees ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 6 lakh from job seekers in exchange for fake employment offers.

The bogus bank was set up in a rented complex, complete with signage and furniture to create the appearance of a legitimate institution.

It targeted unemployed individuals from several districts, including Korba, Balod, and Sakti, with promises of well-paying jobs and salaries as high as Rs 35,000 per month.

Many villagers were excited about the prospect of having a local bank, and some had even planned to take out loans.

However, the scheme unravelled before any large-scale financial losses could occur, thanks to the vigilance of concerned locals.

Now, the victims face financial and legal hardships, having mortgaged jewellery or taken out loans to secure their fraudulent appointments. The police are continuing their investigation into the scam.  

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.