Nagpur: A scheme designed to empower the poor and bring them into India’s formal banking system has been brazenly hijacked by fraudsters. In a major crackdown, Nagpur’s Hudkeshwar Police Station has busted an organised racket that was illegally renting out accounts opened under the flagship Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana to route suspicious financial transactions.
Four accused, Roshan Hariprasad Prajapati, Faizan Asif Sheikh, Piyush Anand Dudhankar, and Amit Umesh Thakre, have been arrested for allegedly running the racket. Police say the network exploited unsuspecting account holders and used their bank accounts as conduits for fraudulent online transactions.
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The shocking case has exposed the growing misuse of the country’s largest financial inclusion scheme, raising serious concerns about how vulnerable citizens are being lured and trapped by organised cyber and financial fraud networks.
According to police, the case came to light after vehicle driver Pawan Dhanvijay approached accused Roshan Prajapati seeking a loan of Rs 10,000. Prajapati allegedly deceived him with a false promise, claiming the amount would be credited to his Jan Dhan account. Under this pretext, Prajapati collected complete banking details from Pawan, including his ATM card and mobile SIM card, effectively gaining total control of the account.
Soon after, Prajapati handed over Rs 10,000 in cash to Pawan. However, the arrangement soon turned suspicious. On March 19, Pawan discovered unauthorised online transactions in his account, which had subsequently been frozen by the bank.
When he confronted Prajapati, the truth allegedly surfaced, his bank account had been handed over to unknown operators and used for illegal transactions. Realising he had been duped, Pawan filed a complaint with Hudkeshwar police.
The investigation quickly uncovered a much larger and well-organised network. Police found that more than 40 bank accounts were linked to suspicious transactions, most of them belonging to private banks and allegedly used by the racket to move money.
ATM cards, SIMs seized to control accounts
Investigators revealed that the accused routinely seized ATM cards, SIM cards and passbooks from account holders, gaining full control over their bank accounts. These accounts were then allegedly used to carry out fraudulent online transactions.
Police believe the racket functioned through multiple layers of middlemen, connecting vulnerable account holders with the main masterminds. People were allegedly tempted with small commissions in exchange for allowing their accounts to be used.
Among those arrested, Roshan Prajapati works in catering, Faizan Sheikh is a food delivery worker, Piyush Dudhankar is a contractual employee with the electricity distribution company, and Amit Thakre runs a Saoji hotel.
Police said the arrested accused appear to be only a part of a much larger network, and efforts are underway to trace the main mastermind and other accomplices involved in the operation.
A case of fraud has been registered, and further investigation is continuing as police attempt to unravel the full scale of the racket that turned a poverty-alleviation banking scheme into a tool for financial crime.
