Lucknow: The central bureau of investigation (CBI) has registered a case in connection with an alleged Rs2.78 crore fraud in the disbursal of Mudra loans at the Bank of India branch in Barauli Malik, Barabanki, following directions from the Allahabad high court. The agency’s anti-corruption branch in Lucknow has launched a probe into the alleged conspiracy involving bank officials and middlemen.The FIR names branch manager Aman Verma and field officer Shailendra Pratap Pankaj, along with unknown others, for their alleged role in sanctioning and diverting loan funds. CBI teams conducted searches at four locations in Lucknow and one in Mainpuri, seizing crucial documents and evidence linked to the fraud.According to the complaint filed by current branch manager Rajeev Bachchan, the fraud pertains to loans sanctioned during 2022-23. As many as 41 Mudra loan accounts were approved during this period, allegedly in violation of norms. Investigations revealed that instead of being utilised by genuine beneficiaries, the sanctioned amounts were systematically diverted to unauthorised bank accounts, causing a financial loss of Rs2.77 crore to the bank.The bank has urged authorities to freeze these accounts and initiate recovery proceedings.Sources said a middleman, identified as Suresh Rawat, played a key role in bringing individuals to open accounts. In several cases, beneficiaries were either unaware or misled about the transactions.One victim, Salman approached the court claiming that a loan of Rs9.1 lakh was fraudulently taken in his name. Despite lodging complaints with local police in Jaidpur and Satrikh, no action was taken, prompting him to move the HC.Earlier, on Feb 21, 2024, the bank submitted a formal complaint to Jaidpur police station seeking registration of an FIR, but the case was not registered. Following judicial intervention, the CBI has now taken over the investigation.
