How a Fake SBI Branch Nearly Robbed Villagers of Their Savings in Chhattisgarh

A shocking bank fraud recently came to light in Chhattisgarh. Scammers set up a fake branch of the SBI to trick people out of their money. This elaborate scam included fake job appointments, bogus training sessions, and a fully furnished fake bank that appeared real to unsuspecting locals.

In the village of Chhapora, Raipur, six people were hired for the jobs at this SBI. The branch had only been open for ten days, but it had all the features of a real bank. The new employees had no idea they were part of a big scam. Villagers also started using the fake branch to open accounts and conduct transactions.

Things were normal till September 27 but after then SBI officials arrived to investigate the branch. A manager from a nearby real SBI branch in Dabra had raised suspicions on this branch and after the investigation it was confirmed that the Chhapora branch was fake. The employees hired at this branch had received counterfeit offer letters, with job titles like manager, cashier, and computer operator. These jobs came with a hefty price—each employee had to pay between ₹2 lakh and ₹6 lakh to secure their position.

The fraudsters had even arranged training sessions for the new hires, further convincing them of the legitimacy of their jobs. However, the scam quickly unraveled after Ajay Kumar Agarwal, a local villager, grew suspicious when an SBI branch suddenly appeared in his area. He had applied for an SBI kiosk and knew that a new branch couldn’t open without notice. When he asked the staff about their operations, they couldn’t provide clear answers, and he noticed that the branch didn’t have a proper branch code on its signboard. Ajay’s doubts led him to alert the manager of the Dabra branch, which eventually exposed the scam.

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The fake bank operated out of a rented building in the village, with a monthly rent of ₹7,000. The scammers had furnished the space to make it look like a real bank, attracting unemployed individuals from nearby areas like Korba, Balod, and Sakti. One of the victims, Jyoti Yadav, shared that she had submitted her documents and was told her job was confirmed, with a promised salary of ₹30,000. Another victim, Sangeeta Kanwar, had to pay ₹2.5 lakh for her position after negotiating down from the original demand of ₹5 lakh.

The quick approach by SBI a big scam was stopped in time. If it had continued many people could have lost their savings. As per the local residents they were planning to take loans from this branch.

The victims of this scam now face not only financial losses but also the challenge of dealing with the situation.