Impersonation Scam Busted at SBI Gangtok Branch; Three Held in Fraud Case

A financial fraud case involving impersonation and cyber deception was registered at Sadar Police Station in Gangtok, Sikkim, on July 9, 2025. The incident, filed under Sections 318(2) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and Section 35 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, resulted in the detention of three individuals. One vehicle was also challaned under the Central Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, as part of the investigation.

The complaint was filed by Pankaj Kumar, a 41-year-old resident of Deogarh, Jharkhand, who currently works as the Branch Manager at the SBI SME Branch in Gangtok. He reported a case of cyber fraud involving a well-known customer of the bank, Rajsons Enterprise.

The incident began on July 4, 2025, when a bank official received a phone call from a person claiming to be the proprietor of Rajsons Enterprise, a trusted client of the bank. The caller expressed interest in opening a Fixed Deposit (FD) of ₹5 crore and requested an overdraft facility against it. A meeting was scheduled for 5:00 PM at the caller’s Tadong office but was cancelled at the last minute, citing personal reasons.

On July 5, the same caller contacted the branch again with the same proposal and claimed that the money would be transferred from his ICICI Bank account. He set up another meeting for 1:00 PM that day. However, at 10:55 AM, he called the branch again claiming that his cheque book had been exhausted and urgently requested a Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) transfer of ₹10,55,935 from the Rajsons Enterprise SBI account to another account at the Union Bank of India.

Trusting the identity of the caller, given the company’s longstanding relationship with the bank, the SBI branch processed the RTGS transaction. The caller assured the branch that he would complete the required paperwork during the scheduled meeting. However, at around 12:25 PM, Rajsons Enterprise staff contacted the branch, reporting that they had also received suspicious calls from the same number. They confirmed that no such transaction request had been made by the proprietor, indicating a case of fraud.

Upon conducting internal verification, it was found that the fraudster had impersonated the Rajsons Enterprise owner by using voice modulation, a fake WhatsApp profile picture, and precise customer information. The impersonator had also attempted to manipulate Rajsons Enterprise staff by requesting changes to beneficiary details and attempting to initiate online transactions.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, the branch manager immediately filed a written FIR, demanding prompt police action. The case has now developed into a high-profile example of how cybercriminals can exploit existing trust and legitimate customer relationships to carry out well-coordinated financial frauds. Authorities are continuing the investigation, and the arrests mark a crucial step in bringing the perpetrators to justice.