A major case of bank fraud has surfaced at the State Bank branch at Nighasan in the Lakhimpur district of Uttar Pradesh, where accounts were allegedly opened using forged documents, leading to a misappropriation of around Rs 25 crore.
Police have registered a case, detained five suspects, and frozen 150 bank accounts. Investigations are underway against nearly 96 youths believed to be linked to the scam, officials confirmed on Monday.
According to local resident Sandeep from Indrapuri Ward, one Divyansh Maurya from Dubaha approached him, asking for Aadhaar cards and photos of local youths, promising Rs 4,000 per document. Several young men submitted their documents, which were then used to open bank accounts at the State Bank branch.
The fraud came to light when some account holders visited the bank and discovered large-scale online transactions made without their knowledge. Sandeep subsequently filed a complaint with the police. Investigations revealed that the fraudsters had used these accounts for online gaming transactions to siphon off crores of rupees.
Further probes exposed that the culprits were also converting foreign currency into Indian rupees through online gaming platforms. Money was transferred to various accounts under the guise of gaming transactions and later withdrawn by the scammers.
Upon detecting suspicious transactions, bank officials immediately froze the affected accounts. Police have detained five individuals from Nighasan and nearby areas for questioning. Several account holders have claimed that their ATM cards and passbooks are still in the possession of the fraudsters.
Inspector-in-Charge Maheshchand stated that based on a complaint from Sandeep Kumar, a case has been registered against Shahbaz (resident of Tikunia), Divyansh Maurya (Dubaha), and Sumit (Mohanlalpurwa) under charges of fraud. The investigation is ongoing.