Frauds use jobseekers’ documents to open company, bank accounts

Thane resident files FIR over identity theft and fraudulent use of documents to register a company and open bank accounts, leading to GST default of ₹23 crore. Multiple unknown accused booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.

MUMBAI: The Chembur police have registered an FIR after a Thane resident complained that his identity documents were fraudulently used by some of his acquaintances to register a company in his name, open bank accounts in the company’s name by forging his signatures. The said company has defaulted on ₹23 crore worth of state Goods and Services Tax (GST).

HT Image

Complainant Ritesh Patil, 42, is a contractual worker with the Thane Municipal Corporation. He came to know that he has been shown on the board of directors of Magic Bullions after receiving a summons from the state government for non-payment of the GST in February this year. Before that he had not even heard of the company, he told the police.

“When I was looking for a job, in January 2022, I responded to an advertisement for bank jobs. I was asked to submit documents like my PAN card and Aadhar card along with my bank statements to the advertisers. After that, they opened an account in my name with a reputed bank saying it was necessary for me to get a job there,” Patil told the police.

However, a representative of the placement agency who had introduced himself as Vaibhav made some excuses about the complainant’s age as the reason for not getting that job. Similar instances happened again wherein Vaibhav helped open two other bank accounts with other banks in the complainant’s name – again on the pretext of getting him a job there.

“Later, he started avoiding my calls. I got a job, and I did not contact him again. I did go to three of the banks to close the accounts opened by Vaibhav. However, there was an account in the Chembur branch of a renowned bank that I didn’t even know of,” Patil said in his complaint to the police. This was the account which was used as the official account of the company where the complainant was shown to be the director.

When he went to the bank branch, Patil realised that not only were all his signatures on the official documents forged but so were his listed address, phone number and other KYC details. That was when he approached the Chembur police and reported the matter.

The complainant expressed suspicion about some bank employees being in cahoots with the frauds, said an official from Chembur police station. He added that based on the complaint’s statement, they had booked multiple unknown accused under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery) 467 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using forged documents as genuine), 473 (making or possessing counterfeit seal, etc with the intention of forgery) and 474 (having possession of forged documents knowing it to be forged and intending to use it as genuine) of the Indian Penal Code.