Ram Naresh is just one of over 100 victims of an alleged banking fraud that rocked areas around Para, Buddheshwar and Kakori, exposing how trust placed in a local Bank Mitra allegedly turned into financial ruin for ordinary families. Janki of Salempur Patora narrated how her father sold ancestral land and transferred Rs 33.35 lakh through RTGS into her bank account about 2 years ago. Of this, Rs 20 lakh was placed in an FD. “When I went to withdraw just Rs 6,000 last week, I was told only Rs 46,000 remained. No withdrawal, no signature, no consent — yet the money vanished,” she said. Visits to the bank yielded vague answers. Ranjana Rajput, a former student of Shakuntala Mishra University, saved Rs 2.5 lakh over months. “I deposited the money at the bank counter. I even have receipts. Now there’s only Rs 1,200 left,” she said. Pharmacy student Karan Yadav fears his scholarship money could be next. “If even savings accounts aren’t safe, how will students survive?” he asked.Anjali, another victim, learned about the fraud through news reports. When she checked her account, Rs 3.8 lakh had gone. “No OTP, no alert,” she said, accusing bank staff of collusion. Victims allege that large sums from at least 17 accounts were transferred into an account in the name of ‘Mohan’, with over Rs 1 crore traced so far. Police arrested Bank Mitra Shiva Rao and his associate, former security guard Dilip Kumar, on Jan 19 and recovered documents and cash. Police say fake FDs were issued from 2020 onwards while real funds were siphoned off. A house built by Shiva Rao in Rajajipuram is under scrutiny. DCP (West) Vishwajeet Srivastava said further arrests and action would follow.
