Police have arrested a Bank of Maharashtra assistant manager and another suspect after alleged account manipulation and forged documents exposed a fraud worth at least ₹1.14 crore.
Police in Betul district have uncovered what they describe as a banking fraud at the Morkha branch of Bank of Maharashtra involving about ₹1.14 crore, with investigators alleging that account details were manipulated and fixed deposits were broken open using forged death certificates. According to local reports, the case centres on the unauthorised changing of registered mobile numbers linked to customer accounts, which allegedly allowed digital transactions to be carried out without the account holders’ knowledge.
Betul police said on 24 October that they had arrested the branch’s assistant manager, Lukhesh Gokhe, along with Gaurav Suryavanshi, while a minor was also named in the probe and dealt with under juvenile law. Other local reports described the arrested assistant manager as Lukhesh Gokhe and said the alleged fraud had been unfolding since January 2026, with investigators examining whether the bank employee’s identity credentials were used to alter customer records and authorise transfers.
Investigators believe the operation relied on repeated changes to account-linked phone numbers and the use of fake death certificates to encash fixed deposits prematurely. One report said police had found evidence that mobile numbers were altered roughly ten times across the accounts under scrutiny, while funds were then routed to relatives and other bank accounts before being used to buy assets, including a car. Another account of the case put the total alleged loss at as much as ₹1.5 crore, underscoring that the final figure may still shift as the inquiry continues.
Six complaints have already been registered by affected customers, according to the police and local media. The alleged unauthorised withdrawals and transfers include sums linked to Jyoti Raghuvanshi, Phoolvanti, Indresh Raghuvanshi, Bhojraj Soni, Ragini Sahu and Vivek Soni, with police separately reviewing the chain of transfers in each case to establish who benefited from the funds and how the money moved through the banking system.
Police also said they had seized property valued at about ₹22.33 lakh, including six mobile phones, gold, silver and a car, as part of efforts to trace the proceeds of the alleged fraud. Officials have urged customers to check passbooks, statements and SMS alerts regularly, and to report any change to a registered mobile number, premature fixed deposit closure or suspicious transfer immediately to the bank and police. They also advised people not to share one-time passwords, ATM PINs or banking credentials, and to use the national cyber helpline 1930 if they suspect online fraud.
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