Lucknow: A suspected loan fraud involving forged employment papers to secure Express Credit Loans worth about Rs 6.40 crore from multiple State Bank of India (SBI) branches has surfaced in Amethi, prompting a police case after a bank-level inquiry flagged irregularities in 64 accounts.An FIR has been registered at Musafirkhana Kotwali on the complaint of SBI chief manager Rahul Singh. The complaint states that borrowers claimed employment with different institutions and submitted appointment letters, salary slips and Form 16 documents to establish income eligibility for the loans. During subsequent verification, several documents were found allegedly forged or inconsistent with records available with the concerned institutions.Bank officials said the loans were sanctioned on the strength of the submitted papers. While some borrowers initially deposited instalments, multiple accounts later slipped into non-performing assets (NPAs). This triggered a detailed scrutiny of loan files and supporting documents used at the time of sanction, leading the bank to estimate irregularities of around Rs 6.40 crore across the 64 identified accounts. The inquiry has also brought under focus loan accounts linked to individuals associated with institutions such as Rajiv Gandhi Polytechnic, Musafirkhana, and Gramodyog Seva Sansthan, officials said.Of particular concern, according to the complaint, are 11 loan accounts linked to SBI Amethi branch, where loans totalling around Rs 1.36 crore were sanctioned and about Rs 94.07 lakh is stated to be outstanding.SBI has submitted documentary material to police, including copies of suspected forged appointment letters, salary slips and Form 16, loan account details, bank statements and an alleged fund trail reflecting movement of the loan proceeds.The FIR names Amit Dwivedi, Bhawani Prasad Dwivedi, Ramadevi, Pushpa Devi, Principal Devendra Prasad Shukla, Ankit Shukla, Umashankar Dubey, Rahul Nayak, Ajay Tripathi, Dharmendra Kumar Yadav, director Saroj Kumar, Durgesh Yadav, Amit Kumar Pandey, Ankita, Anuraj and Shailendra Kumar.Police said the probe will verify employment claims, examine document authenticity and trace the flow and utilisation of loan amounts, besides checking whether the suspected irregularities extend beyond the 64 accounts. Musafirkhana police station in charge Vivek Singh said the matter is under investigation and further action will follow based on evidence.
