BBC HindiAuthorities in India discovered a few weeks ago that a fraudulent bank branch had been set up in a town in Chhattisgarh state, complete with a logo, business furnishings, and even some employees. BBC Hindi pieced together what happened.
Jyoti Yadav, a newly opened bank tree close to her community, was delighted to work as an office assistant.
She had been job-hunting for four decades, facing increasing economic force.
The bank officials asked her to join immediately, and she agreed because it was the State Bank of India ( SBI ), the country’s largest government-backed lender and one of its most recognisable brands.
But only a month after she joined, the officers and employees from a local branch of SBI arrived at the banks- about 200 miles ( 124 miles ) from Chhattisgarh’s money, Raipur- and told them it was false.
Yadav was stunned. She said the people who gave her a job had conducted an interview, issued her an appointment letter and provided an identity card, with a promised salary of 30, 000 rupees ($ 357, £273 ) a month. She and five people had just begun working together.
One individual has been detained, and eight others have been missing, according to the authorities.
Employment-related scams are not uncommon in India, where millions of young people are desperate to find a stable job. In 2022, more than two dozen men who thought they would get jobs with the Indian Railways were tricked into counting trains for days.
In small towns and villages, where employment opportunities are scarce, young people are frequently forced to take risks, such as paying money for work that claim to secure their future, which are mainly concerning.
The six workers of the fake bank were allegedly from economically troubled backgrounds, and some of them had accepted large gifts for the job.
BBC HindiAn analysis agent claimed to be swindling job seekers of money as the target of the investigation.
According to the initial investigation, numerous people were allegedly asked for money to get a job at a bank and then taken to a fake tree for” training,” the officer claimed.
After around two weeks of training, they were sent up with the assurance that they would be “appointed” to an SBI unit rapidly, he added.
The bank’s alleged dupe claim that the fraudsters made the institution appear reasonable to those who were duped.
Yadav claims that as part of the recruitment process, which is popular at many Indian companies, she submitted biometric data, uploaded her academic certificates, and filled out an online form.
” I always felt like I was a scam for even a second. But now everything is ruined”, she said.
She claimed to have accepted a payment of 250, 000 rupees as a reward for the work, which she had trouble raising.
Rohini Sahu, from a town in the neighbouring city, was offered a career as a marketing agent by the false companies.
Sahu revealed to BBC Hindi that her present letter stated she had been hired by the SBI’s Raipur branch but had to go through training there.
The text, the signboard, the tower and its network all convinced her it was a real bank.
No one could have imagined that this was n’t a legitimate bank, she claims, in their wildest dreams.
BBC HindiResidents of the village where the unit is located claim to be content because it provided quick access to finance companies.
However, some people were informed by the bank’s workers that they should go back the following month and that they may open accounts.
For some, it also offered business prospects.
One of the people, Ajay Agarwal, submitted an application to start a shop as part of a program that allows people to provide limited banking services outside the bank’s premises right away.
These banks establishments are prevalent in rural and smaller towns throughout India.
He claims that after his application was rejected, he quickly developed doubts and that he inquired about the SBI tree nearby.
Immediately, the local police raided the lender. But by then the “manager” of the tree had previously absconded.
The person they have arrested, police say, is also an accused in another career fraud in the state. In the prison of the police, he has never made any statements.
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