Palwal man gets cheque book for account he never opened; unearths ₹20 lakh fraud

Investigators said Mahender Pal received the cheque book three months ago from the branch of a private bank at SS Plaza in Sector 47

When 60-year-old man Mahender Pal, a resident of Hathin in Palwal ,received a cheque book in his name three months ago, he was puzzled as he had never opened the bank account in the first place. A further enquiry had more shock in store for him; he realised that someone had forged documents in his names, opened an account using the fake credentials and also obtained a loan of ₹20 lakh, police said on Friday.

Inspector Subhash Chand, station house officer of Gurugram Sadar police station, said a loan agent had taken several documents from Mahender Pal with his signatures on them for getting a loan processed in early 2022. (Representational image)

Investigators said Pal received the cheque book three months ago from the branch of a private bank at SS Plaza in Sector 47 after which he started gathering information to realise that he also had a loan issued against him from another branch of the same bank in Palwal in two instalments in May and September 2022, said police.

Police said the prime suspect is a loan agent from Sohna who a liaison between several banks, farmers and cold storage builders.

Inspector Subhash Chand, station house officer of Gurugram Sadar police station, said the agent had taken several documents from Pal with his signatures on them for getting a loan processed in early 2022.

“Probably the same documents were misused for opening the account and getting the loan disbursed. Pal is a mushroom farmer. He needed a loan of ₹20 lakh for setting up a cold storage,” he said.

“The involvement of the bank authorities could not be ruled out as neither the victim’s signature, photo, phone number nor identity documents were used for opening the account. It only had Pal’s address but contact number was of the agent,” Chand said, adding that Pal had never visited the Sector 47 branch where the account was opened.

The inspector said the loan amount of ₹20 lakh was transferred to the account of a firm in Kundli which constructs cold storage facilities.

“ ₹19.5 lakh was later transferred into the agent’s account. The company, however, never constructed a storage facility for Pal. We suspect the account in Sector 47 was to be used for getting another loan in Pal’s name disbursed fraudulently,” the inspector said

On Pal’s complaint, an FIR against the suspect and unidentified bank officials under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 419 (cheating by personation), 465 (forgery), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (fraudulently or dishonestly using forged document or electronic record as genuine) of the Indian Penal Code at Gurugram Sadar police station on Thursday night, said police.

Police said that Pal had submitted the complaint on July 14 but it was registered after thorough inquiry in which his allegations were found to be true.