₹9 crore scam at Bank of Baroda as 48 people took loans using forged documents, role of bank staff under suspicion

Raebareli (The Uttam Hindu): A major banking fraud has come to light in Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, exposing serious lapses in the loan approval system. More than ₹9 crore was allegedly siphoned off from the main branch of Bank of Baroda using forged documents. After the scam surfaced, panic spread within the bank administration. Acting on a complaint filed by branch manager Mukesh, police have registered an FIR against 48 loan applicants at the Sadar Kotwali police station. Investigators have also started examining the possible involvement of bank officers and employees, as such a large fraud could not have occurred without internal support.

The case came to light after a confidential inquiry conducted by the regional office of Bank of Baroda. The investigation revealed that during 2024 and 2025, loans were wrongly sanctioned to 48 accounts. By concealing their real identities and submitting fake documents, the applicants allegedly obtained personal loans worth around ₹9.02 crore. After the matter was brought to the attention of Superintendent of Police Dr. Yashveer Singh, immediate action was ordered, leading to the registration of the case late Monday evening.

The scam has raised serious questions about the bank’s loan verification process. According to experts and a retired bank official, banks follow a strict procedure before approving loans, which includes document verification, physical surveys of the applicant’s residence, and confirmation through witnesses. The approval of such a large number of fake loans suggests that either verification was ignored or officials knowingly overlooked irregularities. There is strong suspicion that a loan fraud network operated in collusion with some corrupt bank employees. So far, responsible bank officials have not issued any public statement on the matter.

Police have named all 48 accused in the FIR, who belong to different parts of the district. The list includes Uttam Chakravarti from Salon, Umashankar from Dalmau, Sarita from Bachhrawan, Anju Singh from Raebareli city, Vinod Kumar Verma from Kanshiram Colony, and Aneesh Kumar from Satya Nagar, among others. The investigation has been assigned to Sadar Kotwali Inspector Jitendra Kumar Singh. Circle Officer Arun Kumar Nauhar stated that strict legal action will be taken not only against those who obtained loans using fake documents but also against bank officials and staff found involved in the conspiracy.