₹12.15 lakh loan fraud at SBI Vaijapur; 3 booked

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Three persons, including two women, have been booked for duping the State Bank of India’s Modha Market, Vaijapur branch by pledging fake gold to secure a Rs 12.15 lakh loan.The case was registered at Vaijapur police station around 6 pm on Saturday.

According to the police, Anuradha Rankhambe(Jeevan Ganga Society) and Sarla Uchit(M.G. Road), both associated with credit card marketing at the same branch, pledged 226 grams of imitation gold, posing it as genuine. Rankhambe secured Rs 2.90 lakh, while Uchit took Rs 9.25 lakh. The amounts were credited to their savings accounts and later withdrawn. Gold valuer Kamlesh Adhikar of Phulewadi Road falsely certified the fake gold as genuine, enabling the fraudulent disbursal. The loans were approved during the tenure of branch manager Navneet Sharma and deputy manager Dipanjali Jedhe. The fraud came to light on June 5, 2025, after a re-evaluation exposed the scam. Following Sharma’s complaint, Vaijapur police registered a case of cheating against Rankhambe, Uchit, and Adhikar. Investigations are ongoing.

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Two escape action after loan repayment

Two others Gokul Sonawane (Borsar, Vaijapur tehsil) and Pawan Shinde (Rotegaon, Vaijapur tehsil) also availed loans of Rs 5 lakh and Rs 4 lakh, respectively, by pledging fake gold. However, both repaid their dues before the fraud surfaced, avoiding police action.