A large fraud case has been reported in Banka district, where hundreds of women were allegedly cheated of lakhs of rupees on the pretext of providing personal loans at low interest rates. The accused allegedly lured women by promising easy instalments and quick loan approvals and collected money from them under various pretexts.
According to information provided by the victims, the accused introduced themselves as representatives of private finance companies or microfinance institutions and contacted women in villages and small towns. They claimed that personal loans would be provided at very low interest rates and said only processing fees, file charges, and insurance fees were required. To gain trust, documents were shown and assurances were given that loans would be approved quickly.
It is alleged that the accused collected amounts ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000 from different women. Initially, some women were told that their loans were under process. Over time, the mobile phones of the accused were found switched off, and the office address provided was discovered to be fake. When the victims spoke among themselves, the scale of the fraud came to light.
The affected women stated that they had paid the money in the hope of obtaining loans for household needs, medical treatment, and small businesses. Several of them are members of self-help groups and now face additional pressure to repay debts after the fraud. This has further worsened their families’ financial conditions.
Hundreds of women, angered by the incident, gathered and approached the police station to lodge written complaints. The victims alleged that the accused deliberately targeted women by moving from village to village and executed the fraud by offering low-interest loan incentives.
Police officials said an investigation has been initiated based on the complaints. Efforts are being made to identify the suspects, and details of the mobile numbers and accounts used for transactions are being collected. Police have assured that strict legal action will be taken against those responsible.
Local residents said that similar cases of fake loan schemes and fraud have been reported in the district earlier, but due to lack of awareness, people continue to fall victim. They have demanded that the administration launch a campaign against fake finance agents and increase awareness in rural areas.
