Kanpur. Police have arrested three people in connection with an alleged fraud in which an ₹80 lakh loan was obtained in the name of an auto driver by creating a fake firm. The accused allegedly showed the driver’s mother, who had died in 2019, as alive in documents and used forged signatures in her name to register the firm. The investigation has also indicated the alleged involvement of bank employees. A bank manager suspected of being involved in the case allegedly fled when police reached the bank to take him into custody.
Auto driver Shivam Shukla, a resident of Vinayakpur Panchvati, said he met Rahul Ojha, Gyanendra Vishwakarma and Arpit in September 2024. Rahul, who allegedly introduced himself as a chartered accountant, offered him a job at an office in Lakhanpuri for a monthly salary of ₹12,000. He later allegedly promised to help Shivam set up a rice mill and obtain financial assistance under the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises scheme.
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The accused allegedly asked Shivam to take a ₹10 lakh loan under the scheme. When he said he did not have the required documents, Rahul allegedly claimed to have good connections with Kumar Pawan, a bank manager posted at a branch in Kalyanpur. The accused allegedly then offered Shivam a commission of ₹20,000 for arranging loan files worth ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh each. Believing their claims, Shivam reportedly helped open bank accounts for around 10 people.
Rahul and Gyanendra subsequently allegedly introduced Shivam to a bank assistant general manager. A firm named ‘Shivam Traders’ was then allegedly created in Shivam’s name. When residence-related documents were required for registration, the accused allegedly arranged the documents with the help of officials connected with GST registration.
One of the most serious allegations is that Shivam’s mother, Santosh Kumari, was shown as alive in the firm’s documents even though she had died in 2019. The accused allegedly forged her signatures and used the documents to complete the firm’s registration.
The accused also allegedly arranged a quotation from a machinery manufacturer in Ispat Nagar for setting up a rice mill. Subsequently, an ₹80 lakh bank loan was allegedly obtained in the name of Shivam’s firm. After the loan instalments remained unpaid for around nine months, the bank sent a notice to Shivam. It was only after receiving the notice that he learned about the substantial loan taken in his name.
Shivam alleged that when he confronted the accused, they threatened and assaulted him. He subsequently approached the police commissioner with a complaint. Following the complaint, a case was registered and directions were issued for the arrest of the accused.
During the investigation, the role of bank manager Kumar Pawan also came under suspicion. He had reportedly been transferred from the Kalyanpur branch to the Govind Nagar branch. When a police team reached the Govind Nagar branch to take him into custody, he allegedly fled from the spot. Police are searching for him and investigating the bank’s role in the alleged loan fraud.
Shivam has alleged that the incident was not an isolated case and that a wider syndicate was operating by creating fake firms and obtaining loans worth crores of rupees in other people’s names. He has also alleged that several other people known to him were victims of similar fraud. Police are now questioning the arrested accused to establish the alleged network, examine the forged documents and financial transactions, and identify other possible victims and individuals involved.
About the author — Suvedita Nath is a science student with a growing interest in cybercrime and digital safety. She writes on online activity, cyber threats, and technology-driven risks. Her work focuses on clarity, accuracy, and public awareness.
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