A major scam at a Grahak Seva Kendra (Customer Service Centre) of the State Bank of India in Indora Square, Nagpur, has led to a loss of Rs 70 lakh for customers, including money from the Ladki Bahin Yojana. Two individuals have been arrested in connection with the fraud, while one accused remains on the run.
The arrested suspects have been identified as Ashish Yashwant Joge (40) from Jaripatka and Datta Panchal. The third person involved, Swapnil Santosh Lanjewar, is still absconding.
According to the police, Ashish, along with the help of Datta and Swapnil, opened the SBI Grahak Seva Kendra. They promised customers a 10 percent return on fixed deposits (FDs) and managed to collect Rs 70 lakh from them between 2019 and February 2025. However, instead of providing genuine deposit receipts, the accused handed out fake ones. The trio also targeted women, convincing them to invest under the pretext of offering benefits from the Ladki Bahin Yojana.
The scam was uncovered when customers began demanding their money back. One such customer, Sangeeta Kumar Katoch (55) from Lashkaribagh, filed a complaint with the Pachpaoli Police Station. Following the complaint, Ashish and Datta were arrested and are currently in judicial custody.
Further investigation revealed that Ashish had taken a loan of Rs 1.5 crore, which he used for house construction. The police have urged other victims of the scam to come forward and file their complaints to aid in the ongoing investigation.
