Ex-bank employee arrested along with associates for cheating job seekers

A former operations manager with a private bank was arrested, along with his two associates, for allegedly using innocent job seekers to withdraw money from banks using forged letterheads of firms, police said today.

On March 22, a case was filed at Madhu Vihar in which the victim alleged that Rs 7.5 to 8 lakh were withdrawn from his account without his knowledge and transferred through RTGS.

One person, named Ranjit, who was present at the bank and had carried the fake letterhead to the bank was nabbed.

Later, it was revealed that Ranjit was only a victim as he had posted his resume on OLX for job. He was called for an interview at Connaught Place and told that he has been selected for the job. They gave him a forged letter and asked to submit it in the bank to withdraw the money, police said.

Subsequently, police arrested Virender Sahu and his two associates, Arun and Vinay Yadav, they said.

The gang used to contact traders dealing in electronic items posing as buyers and would tell them that they want to place bulk orders. They would ask the traders to WhatsApp them a cancelled cheque and the price of items on their letterhead. In this way, they would get details of the victim, police said.

Later, they would scan the letterhead and forge the signatures.

On the basis of this information, a forged letter was prepared requesting the bank to transfer money through RTGS/NEFT and a specific request was made to provide a fresh cheque book to confuse the bank, they said.

Sahu also used to call the bank manager, posing as the account holder, informing him that he is sending a man with letter and the transaction was urgent. They would get the money transferred to accounts opened in fake names or in the accounts of the job seekers and would later take the money from them by paying a meager amount.

Sahu has an MBA degree from Shree Ram Swaroop College of Engnieering and Management, Lucknow . He joined as an Operation Manager at the ICICI Bank, Hazratganj, Lucknow in 2005 and worked in the banking section till 2015, police said.