Chhattisgarh: Fake SBI Branch In Chhapora Village Busted; 3 Booked

The bogus branch with five workers was being run under Malkharauda police station limits and was unearthed on September 29, Sakti ASP Rama Patel said.

Sakti (Chhattisgarh): Police busted a fake branch claiming to be of the State Bank of India (SBI) here and booked its three operators, an official said on Sunday. The bogus branch was being run in Chhapora village under Malkharauda police station limits, Sakti Additional Superintendent of Police Rama Patel said.

Sakti Additional Superintendent of Police Rama Patel said that the fake branch was operating in Chhapora village, which is under the jurisdiction of Malkharauda police station. She added that the bogus banking operation was established in a rented store in a commercial complex on September 18, and it had several SBI banners and posters put up.

The branch caught the attention of many who thought that something fishy was underway following which a team from SBI's regional headquarters in Korba visited the branch and carried out an investigation, and found it to be fake.

She said that authorities raided the location on September 27 after receiving a tip from the public sector bank. It was discovered that there were five workers in the fake branch that was opera.

Sakti police said that preliminary investigation found that the workers were hired after a round of interview. Currently, the they are being questioned in this case. Police have seized computers and other items from the fake branch.

Probe is underway to get to the bottom of the matter and find out how many people opened accounts with the fake branch and the amount that they duped them of, police said.

A case has been registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against three operators of this fraudulent branch, including a person who claimed to be the manager and was said to be the mastermind of the fraud, an official said.