Tamil Nadu Police have arrested three people for running a duplicate or fake State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Panruti in the Cuddalore district.
According to the police, Kamal Babu (19), the son of a former SBI employee, had brought computers, lockers, challans and forged documents to set up the branch. A website was also created in the name of the Panruti Bazaar branch. Babu, along with A Kumar (42), M Manickam (52), had opened the branch in the month of April amid the lockdown.
Kamal Babu, whose mother retired as a bank employee some years back, was running the duplicate branch from a room in Panruti and Kumar and Manickam allegedly helped him in printing fake SBI pay slips and seals.
The duplicate branch came under the scanner when an SBI customer enquired about the newly-opened branch in North Bazaar with the manager of an existing branch in the town.
After a customer showed the receipt he had got from the duplicate branch, the manager and other officials visited the fake branch and found the set up similar to that of an original branch.
A complaint was immediately lodged with the Panruti police after which the three were arrested under sections 473, 469, 484, 109 of the Indian Penal Code.
The officials said that no transactions had taken place and no loss of money was reported, Business Standard reported. All three accused were presented in court.
