Fake bank executive held

A 52-year-old salesman has been arrested for cheating people, posing as a private bank’s executive and offering loans at low interest rates since October 2011, police said on Saturday.

Mahesh Kumar Thapar, a resident of Peera Garhi Camp, earned lakhs of rupees by charging victims Rs 40,000 to 50,000 for each loan. “He used to target poor people who needed loan. He would advertise in newspapers, claiming that he can provide low-interest loans. Then he would charge some money as processing fee,” said Devesh Chandra Srivastva, additional commissioner of police (central).

Through his work as a salesman he interacted with people and came to know about those looking for loans. “After winning complete trust, he would demand a certain amount as processing fee and later switch off his mobile phone,” Srivastva said. His racket was busted after Karol Bagh resident Indumati Jha approached police on May 1, alleging that she had been cheated of Rs 45,000. 

The accused had failed to provide the promised loan and had also refused to return the amount paid to him.

She told police that she had contacted Mahesh after seeing an advertisement in Prabhat Khabar newspaper for loan from Exim Bank. 

“The advertisement contained a mobile phone number. When Indumati contacted the number, Mahesh claimed to be an executive of the bank and asked her to send her ID proof and some other documents through e-mail,” Srivastva added.

Mahesh initially asked her to deposit Rs 6,000 as the processing fee and a further Rs 39,000 in separate bank accounts, saying a loan of Rs 3 lakh had been sanctioned in her favour. She later realised that the loan had not been granted and the accused had switched off his cellphone.

During investigation, police found out that money was being transferred to the account of a man named Gurpreet. He was subsequently arrested in Punjab and was thoroughly interrogated.

He revealed that he had handed over his ATM card along with other documents to Mahesh, who took the documents with a promise that he would help Gurpreet travel abroad. “Mahesh was subsequently arrested on the basis of technical surveillance and a tip-off,” Srivastva added.

During interrogation Mahesh confessed he had started cheating people to lead a luxurious lifestyle.