Huge Gold Loan Scam in Bank in Uttarpradesh

An inquiry into a large-scale gold loan fraud at the Canara Bank branch in Civil Lines, Prayagraj, has shown that multiple individuals obtained loans totaling lakhs of rupees by presenting counterfeit gold. The complaint claims that anomalies were discovered in 18 gold loan accounts, of which 16 individuals used counterfeit gold to obtain loans worth ₹57,19,800. This sum has grown in value over time to ₹64,01,990.

Canara Bank's Assistant General Manager and Regional Head, Pankaj Verma, reported the entire incident in a formal complaint to the Civil Lines police station. The police registered the case on April 10, 2026, following an investigation, despite the fact that the FIR was filed in July 2025.

The report of Vishnu Sharma, the gold appraiser, was used to approve the loans. Suspicions grew after Kaushal Kishore Verma, another gold appraiser, carried out an investigation. The pledged gold was discovered to be counterfeit during a second test carried out by Sudhanshu Verma on July 3, 2025, and Shivkumar Verma on July 15, 2025, as directed by the bank.

Bank personnel were terrified when the case was made public. The Civil Lines police station then received a case against sixteen named people as well as additional unnamed people. Police have opened an investigation and registered the fraud complaint.

When a customer approaches a bank for a gold loan, the bank calls a goldsmith to conduct the valuation and purity of the gold. On the basis of the value of Gold, the bank sanctions gold loan up to 80% of the value. So, the role of goldsmith is very important in identifying the purity of Gold. If the goldsmith cheats, then the gold scam is inevitable.

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Bank Manager detained in connection with the massive Mudra loan scandal in Delhi

A top bank executive was detained on Saturday by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) on suspicion of being involved in a massive loan scam that was carried out under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana using fictitious names and false papers.

Former Union Bank of India branch manager Nitin Chaudhary worked as a credit manager at the bank's Basant Vihar branch in Delhi. A combined squad from the Lucknow Cyber Crime Police Station and the STF nabbed him at the Basant Vihar branch.

Raj Bahadur Gurung, a resident of Lucknow, submitted the complaint at the STF headquarters. He claimed to have signed some bank documents and engaged an intermediary to obtain a business loan. He was then told, though, that his loan application had been turned down. Surprisingly, he started getting reminders about unpaid EMI payments about five or six months later.

He discovered that two loans had already been approved in his name without his knowledge or approval when he checked his credit report. He complained to the authorities.

Under the direction of top officers, STF initiated a thorough investigation in response to the complaint. A well-run nationwide scheme including bank employees, middlemen, and document forgers was discovered through technical surveillance and information collection.

The police discovered that this scam was being run by a syndicate. According to investigations, the syndicate used identification documents including Aadhaar and PAN cards to illegally process loans in the names of gullible people. Forged signatures were utilized to finish the paperwork, and photos of gang members were digitally changed to replace the photos on these IDs. 

The STF discovered that loans totaling several crores had been fraudulently approved across many banks, targeting over 100 people and organizations. A case was filed at the Cyber Crime Police Station in Lucknow on September 13, 2025, after STF detained four suspects, including Gaurav Kumar, another Union Bank branch manager.

Subsequent interrogation and analysis of seized documents led investigators to identify Aamir Ahsan as the mastermind of the operation. He was arrested on February 15, 2026.

Nitin Chaudhary, who had been absconding, was identified as a key conspirator and was finally tracked down and arrested from Delhi.

Additional SP, STF, Vishal Vikram Singh, said that during sustained interrogation, Chaudhary revealed that he had come into contact with co-accused Naveed, a vendor associated with the bank’s regional office, during his posting in Lucknow.

Their acquaintance soon turned into a criminal partnership aimed at earning money through fraudulent loan approvals.

The gang came up with a methodical plan to take advantage of the Mudra loan scheme's weaknesses. To produce the quotes needed for loan approvals, phony businesses were established. The recipients of the loan amounts were these shell corporations, which were under the management of Naveed and Aamir.

More information will soon be made public as the police continue their investigation.

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Vigilance investigation finds Dormant Account Scam of Rs. 14 lakh in SBI

A scam of ₹14.60 lakh has come to light at the State Bank of India (SBI)’s Personal Banking Branch (PBB) located on Mall Road, where a dormant account was fraudulently activated. Now, the bank’s Vigilance Department has started a full-scale investigation into the matter.

Dormant Account Misused to Withdraw Money

According to reports, a dormant account belonging to Shiromani Yadav, a resident of Civil Lines, Kanpur Nagar, was suddenly activated. This account had been inactive since 2022. Shockingly, ₹14.60 lakh was withdrawn from it after it was reactivated on March 25, 2025, through a fake e-KYC process.

Accused Deputy Manager Suspended

A Deputy Manager of the bank, who is also a member of the SBI Officers Association, is accused of being involved in the scam. He has been suspended while investigations are underway. Statements from the bank employees and officers who were working at the branch during that period have also been recorded.

Fake Aadhaar and Address Documents Under Probe

During the initial internal inquiry, it was found that fake Aadhaar cards and false address documents were used in the process of reactivating the account. These documents are currently being verified. Earlier, the case was being looked into by the Regional Manager of Lucknow and the Assistant General Manager of Kanpur. But now, Vigilance authorities have officially taken over the case.

CCTV Footage and Employee Statements Examined

As part of the investigation, CCTV footage from the Mall Road PBB branch and the World Bank branch has been examined. Officials from the Vigilance Department have also questioned the main accused and recorded statements from several employees from both branches.

Anonymous Tip Uncovered the Scam

The scam first came to light after an anonymous letter was sent to the Chief General Manager of SBI on May 1. The letter detailed how ₹14.60 lakh had been fraudulently withdrawn from the dormant account and named the Deputy Manager and other employees involved.

Interestingly, when internal discussions about the fraud began, the money was returned to the account on April 11, and the account was again deactivated on April 15—possibly in an attempt to cover up the fraud.

Investigation Report Expected Soon

Vigilance officers are now preparing their final report based on the documents, CCTV footage, and employee statements. This report is likely to be submitted to senior officials soon.

Source - hellobanker

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Biggest Auto Finance Scam in Banking Sector

 

A major financial scam involving a fake ‘Mahindra’ account, over 2,000 ghost customers, and a fraud amounting to Rs.150 crore has been uncovered in Mizoram, making it the largest auto-finance scam in northeast India. The Mizoram Police has successfully busted the gang responsible for the scam, which had been operating for nearly four years, and has arrested 11 individuals, including the alleged mastermind.

The alleged mastermind of the scam was a former employee of Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Limited (MMFSL), a company that primarily provides vehicle loans. This individual created fake files for more than 2,000 ghost customers and sanctioned car loans using these fraudulent documents. The scam was made possible through collusion between certain employees and car dealers. The fraudsters exploited loopholes in MMFSL’s oversight process, including KYC verification, process auditing, tele-verification, and supervisory mechanisms, allowing them to continue their illegal activities from 2020 to 2024.

The alleged mastermind, Mr. Hussain, conspired with a few colleagues and opened a fake bank account in 2020 under the name “Mahindra Finance Limited,” which closely resembled the original brand name. This bank account served as a repository for the defrauded money for over three years. Two of Mr. Hussain’s accomplices, Edenthara and Lalthankima, impersonated high-ranking company officials and submitted forged documents to support the creation of the fake bank account. They even went as far as creating fake stamps, seals, and other documents to make the account appear legitimate. The purpose of this account was to receive payments from car dealers involved in the scam.

The Mizoram Police, specifically the Crime Investigation Department (CID), conducted a raid at Mr. Hussain’s residence on March 29, resulting in his arrest. During the raid, law enforcement seized a laptop and several mobile phones as evidence. Subsequently, on April 2, Edenthara and Lalthankima were arrested. During their interrogation, they revealed that Mr. Hussain had prepared fake documents and misrepresented their office designations to open the fake bank account. They also disclosed that Mr. Hussain would remove the fake files from the office and store them at the house of another accomplice, Manoj Sunar. Mr. Sunar received a monthly payment of ₹15,000 for his assistance in carrying out the fraudulent operations. On April 3, Mr. Sunar was arrested, and during a search of his residence, seven sacks containing files from 2022 to 2024 and forged stamps were recovered.

To avoid suspicion and ensure that the ghost accounts did not become non-performing assets (NPAs), Mr. Hussain and his associates made EMI payments for the fake accounts by withdrawing money from the fake “Mahindra” account. By doing so, they aimed to maintain the appearance of legitimate transactions. The police have frozen 26 ghost bank accounts, totaling nearly ₹2.5 crores, as well as the accounts of car dealers worth ₹1 crore. Additionally, 15 cars worth ₹3 crore have been recovered. Car dealers have directly returned approximately ₹3.47 crores to MMFSL. During the investigation, law enforcement also seized three laptops, ten mobile phones, 549 ghost customers’ files, 25 forged seals, numerous SIM cards, two personal diaries, and various other identity documents.

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Bank of Baroda(BoB) App Scam: Has Sent Shockwaves To Indian Banking System - All You Need To Know

Bank of Baroda has been in the eye of a storm after a potential fraud in the process of signing up customers for its Internet banking app. The employees at certain Bank of Baroda branches allegedly linked customers' bank accounts with unrelated mobile numbers and enrolled them on the "Bob World" app, Al Jazeera reported in July. 

What exactly happened?

This mobile app, similar to other banking apps, offers customers various digital banking services, including loan access, savings, investment options, bill payments, and even booking buses and hotels. According to the report, bank employees resorted to linking bank accounts without associated mobile numbers to the contact details of various personnel, including staff, sanitation workers, and security personnel to meet demanding sign-up targets for the digital app.

After the initial registration, these employees would then deregister the bank accounts from the app and reuse the same mobile numbers to link a different set of bank accounts. To oversee this process, each branch had a designated nodal officer, as reported by the publication. While Bank of Baroda initially denied these allegations, it later initiated an internal audit in response to the accusations.

But How Did It All Begin? 

The first sign of illegal on boarding in Bank of Baroda's BOB World App was exposed by AI Jazeera in July 2023.

As per the Al Jazeera report, it was known that the bank's employees were given the task of onboarding customers on the BOB World mobile app when it was launched in September 2021. The task was extensive, and employees struggled to onboard people while they feared getting poor performance reviews from their regional offices. Desperate to succeed in the task at hand, a Bank of Baroda employee situated in Bhopal revealed to AI Jazeera that he and his colleagues learned of a workaround from peers in other branches. This employee revealed that they would fetch out the list of bank accounts which were not linked with mobile numbers, and then the employees would link these accounts to any mobile numbers they could gather such as bank staffers, sanitation and security workers and their relatives. The goal of doing so was to generate the one-time password (OTP) which is required to join the application and sign up these accounts. The next step by these employees was to deregister these customers from the app and reuse the same mobile numbers to repeat the process all over again.

Even a nodal officer reportedly from the regional office in Bhopal joined the practice by giving his and his wife's phone numbers to link with the accounts. AI Jazeera cited an email which pointed out the scale of impact on bank accounts. For instance, in the Bhopal zone, the news channel found out that close to 1,300 mobile numbers were tied to anywhere from 30 to 100 bank accounts, putting nearly 62,000 bank accounts at risk. This will be on average 47 bank accounts linked to a single mobile number. As per the policy of Bank of Baroda policy, one mobile number can be linked to at least eight bank accounts, however, one mobile number cannot be linked to multiple mobile banking apps. Bank of Baroda had denied the findings in the AI Jazeera report. But when RBI stepped into the same matter, Bank of Baroda carried out its investigation, finding many employees carrying this fraudulent act.

What did the RBI say?

Now, the bank app has been banned by the RBI from onboarding new customers. The RBI has now mandated that the Bank of Baroda, the seventh largest in India by market cap, sign in new customers to the BoB World app after it rectifies the identified issues and strengthens the relevant processes to the regulator's satisfaction, as per ET.

Bank of Baroda takes action:

In response to this, the Bank of Baroda has taken action by suspending certain employees and launching an investigation to establish accountability. “Some employees have been suspended in Bhopal, Baroda and Rajasthan and a probe has been initiated. So far the suspensions are only in the smaller towns outside the metros,” a person familiar with the process told ET.

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सबसे बड़ा बैंकिंग घोटाला: भारत देश में अब तक का सबसे बड़ा बैंक फ्रॉड, करोडो का बैंको को लगाया चुना

 

भारत देश में अब तक का सबसे बड़ा बैंक फ्रॉड,22,842 करोड़ का 28 बैंको को लगाया चुना सीबीआई ने एबीजी शिपयार्ड और उसके निदेशकों के खिलाफ 28 बैंकों को 22,842 करोड़ रुपए की धोखाधड़ी करने के आरोप में एफआईआर दर्ज की है। देश में अब तक का सबसे बड़ा बैंक फ्रॉड (Biggest Bank Fraud) का मामला सामने आया है। देश की मानी-जानी कंपनी ABG शिपयार्ड ने 28 बैंकों को 22,842 करोड़ रुपये का चूना लगाया है। बैंकों के साथ इतनी बड़ी धोखाधड़ी का मामला सामने आने के बाद CBI ने एबीजी शिपयार्ड और उसके निदेशकों के खिलाफ धोखाधड़ी करने के आरोप में केस दर्ज किया है। एबीजी शिपयार्ड एक प्रमुख कंपनी है जो जहाज निर्माण और जहाज-मरम्मत के कारोबार से जुड़ी है। एबीजी पर ICICI का सबसे अधिक राशि ₹7,089 करोड़ का बकाया है, इसके अलावा IDBI, SBI, PNB और बैंक ऑप बड़ौदा जैसे बैंकों के 1 हजार करोड़ से ज्यादा की राशि बकाया है।

सीबीआई ने दर्ज की एफआईआर सीबीआई ने स्टेट बैंक ऑफ इंडिया वर्ल्ड ट्रेड सेंटर, कफे परेड, कोलाबा मुंबई ब्रांच के डीजीएम बालाजी सिंह समानता की शिकायत पर मेसर्स एबीजी शिपयार्ड लिमिटेड, मगदला विलेज, ऑफ डुमास रोड, सूरत, गुजरात कंपनी, ऋषि कमलेश अग्रवाल, चेयरमैन एंड मैनेजिंग डायरेक्टर, गारंटर संथानम मुथास्वामी, एग्जीक्यूटिव डायरेक्टर अश्वनी कुमार, डायरेक्टर सुशील कुमार अग्रवाल, डायरेक्टर रवि विमल निवेदिता, डायरेक्टर मेसर्स एबीजी इंटरनेशनल प्राइवेट लिमिटेड कंपनी और अज्ञात सरकारी लोगों के खिलाफ आपराधिक साजिश, चीटिंग, क्रिमिनल बीच ऑफ ट्रस्ट, पोस्ट का दुरुपयोग करके कॉन्सॉर्टियम ऑफ बैंक, स्टेट बैंक ऑफ इंडिया, ई स्टेट बैंक ऑफ पटियाला (मौजूदा स्टेट बैंक ऑफ इंडिया ), ई स्टेट बैंक ऑफ त्रावणकोर (मौजूदा स्टेट बैंक ऑफ इंडिया) जिसे आईसीआईसी बैंक लीड कर रहा था, उन्‍हें कुल 22,842 करोड़ रुपए का नुकसान पहुंचाने के आरोप में मुकदमा दर्ज किया गया है।

12 मार्च को मांगा था स्पष्टीकरण बैंकों के संघ ने सबसे पहले आठ नवंबर 2019 को शिकायत दर्ज कराई थी, जिस पर सीबीआई ने 12 मार्च 2020 को कुछ स्पष्टीकरण मांगा था। बैंकों के संघ ने उस साल अगस्त में एक नई शिकायत दर्ज की और डेढ़ साल से अधिक समय तक जांच करने के बाद सीबीआई ने इस पर कार्रवाई की। अधिकारी ने कहा कि कंपनी को एसबीआई के साथ ही 28 बैंकों और वित्तीय संस्थानों ने 2468.51 करोड़ रुपये के ऋण को मंजूरी दी थी। फॉरेंसिक ऑडिट से पता चला है कि वर्ष 2012-17 के बीच आरोपियों ने कथित रूप से मिलीभगत की और अवैध गतिविधियों को अंजाम दिया, जिसमें धन का दुरुपयोग और आपराधिक विश्वासघात शामिल है।

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IOB loan fraud : ED says accused who defrauded Indian Overseas Bank paid managers' flight, hotel bills

                                 

Probing a Rs 299-crore Indian Overseas Bank loan fraud case, similar to the alleged USD 2 billion worth PNB swindle, the Enforcement Directorate has found that the accused "paid" for the air travel and hotel stay of a senior bank manager and his family as kickbacks. The central probe agency said "lapses" were also detected on the part of at least three managers — Anil Kumar, P C Rana and N Chokalingam — of the IOB branch in Chandigarh, "as well as the concurrent auditors."

The ED case is related to its criminal money laundering investigation "in a case related to buyers credit fraud of Rs 299.14 crore at the IOB, Chandigarh". The agency took congnisance of an FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), to file a case under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against IOB Assistant Manager Ashu Mehra, properitor of heights international company Amanpreet Singh Sodhi, owner of vision procon company Dinesh Kumar and directors of a firm saibhakti impex Pvt ltd — Gaurav Kirpal and Aman Kirpal.

"A charge sheet was filed by the CBI against the accused revealing wrongful loss to the tune of Rs 299.14 crore to the bank on account of fraudulent unpaid LOUs (letter of undertaking) and that an amount of Rs 11.36 crore commission for 24 LOUs was also not received by the bank," the ED said. A similar modus operandi of misusing the LOUs has been alleged by probe agencies in the Brady House branch (Mumbai) of the Punjab National Bank (PNB) that led to a fraud estimated to be worth USD 2 billion, which came to light in 2018.

Diamond merchants Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi have been alleged as the masterminds of this swindling, identified as one of the biggest case of bank loan fraud in the country. About the latest case, the ED said its probe found that the accused Amanpreet Singh Sodhi, Dinesh Kumar and Gaurav Kirpal "conspired" with IOB assistant manager Ashu Mehra "for illegal diversion of funds to the bank accounts of fraudulent buyers on behalf of Indian import firms."

"These amounts were first credited by the overseas funding bank — Bank of Baroda, Bahamas and PNB, Dubai — into the HSBC Account of the Hong Kong-based export company Colour Wave (HK) Ltd though no imports took place." "The accumulated amount in the HSBC Account was further remitted to India in the accounts of accused companies by showing it as adjustments for exports of third-party payments," the ED alleged.

It was found, the ED said, that the goods were either exported by the accused to different buyers or consignees by resorting "to gross over-valuation or in some cases there was "no export. "In this manner the accused have generated the proceeds of crime by resorting to trade-based money laundering," the ED claimed.

It was found that "payments for the air travels and hotel stays of the accused Ashu Mehra and his family members was borne by accused Dinesh Kumar and Gaurav Kirpal", the agency said. The agency has attached properties worth over Rs 91 crore of various accused involved in the case till now, with an attachment of Rs 6.03 crore being done recently.

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Another PSU Bank reports Rs 1,775 cr fraud by Bhushan Power & Steel

Kolkata-headquartered state owned lender, Allahabad Bank, has reported a fraud of Rs 1774.82 crore by Bhushan Power & Steel to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

In a stock market notification, on July 13, the bank has alleged misappropriation of funds and manipulation in the books of accounts by Bhushan Power & Steel to raise money from a consortium of banks.

The lender further added that a provision of Rs 900.20 crore has already been made against the exposure.

“It has been observed that the company has misappropriated bank funds, manipulated books of accounts to raise funds from consortium lender banks. At present, the case is at NCLT which is in advance stage and the Bank expects good recovery of the account,” it said in a notice to the bourses.

Allahabad Bank is the second lender after Punjab National Bank (PNB) to report a fraud by Bhushan Power & Steel. Earlier this month, PNB reported a Rs 3,800 crore fraud by the company.

 Bhushan Power & Steel defaulted on Rs 47,700 crore worth of loans in 2017 and was one of the 12 cases referred for resolution under Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.

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