'Recruitment Drives, New Furniture & Computers': How Fraudsters Duped Chhattisgarh Locals Of Lakhs At 'Fake' SBI Branch

A fake SBI branch in Chhattisgarh defrauded locals with fake recruitment drives and bank services

Authorities are now probing how many people were defrauded by the scheme and how much money was collected.(Representative Image: PTI)

Source : PTI

A fake branch of the State Bank of India (SBI) was uncovered in Chhattisgarh’s Sakti district, police said on Sunday. Scammers held illegal recruitment drives, fake training sessions, and elaborate setups to defraud both unemployed individuals and locals of Chhapora village, around 250 kilometres from the state capital Raipur. 

Set up in a rented shop, the 'bank' had reportedly been functional since September 18, with an SBI banner in front of it. It has all the features of a real bank, including new furniture, professional papers, and functioning counters.

Unaware villagers even began opening accounts in the 'bank and started financial transactions, where the newly 'hired' employees overlooked the operations. All was going well until the manager of the nearby Dabra branch raised suspicions about its legitimacy with the SBI. After receiving the complaint, a police team along with SBI officials showed up for an interrogation at the bank on September 27 and discovered that the "branch" in Chhapora was a fraud, according to a report by NDTV.

As per the report, the scammers even took money from locals in tye name of the recruitment drive and handed them fake appointment letters after taking better Rs 2 lakh and Rs 6 lakh rupees from them. 

Police raided the location and seized computers and other materials. Quoting Additional Superintendent of Police Rama Patel, a report by Hindustan Times said a team from SBI’s regional office in Korba conducted an inspection and confirmed that the branch was fake.

As per Patel, a case has been registered against the three operators under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including the alleged mastermind who posed as the branch manager. Authorities are now probing how many people were defrauded by the scheme and how much money was collected.

This incident brings back the memory of the 2020 incident in Tamil Nadu, where police arrested three individuals for running a fake SBI branch in Panruti, Cuddalore district. The son of a former SBI employee had set up a fraudulent branch with computers, lockers, and forged documents. It was busted after a customer enquired about it with the manager of an existing SBI branch in the town.