Gangtok – The tranquil hills of Sikkim have been rocked by a cunning financial fraud case, with the Sadar Police Station in Gangtok registering a complaint of impersonation and cyber deception. The meticulous operation, targeting the State Bank of India’s SME Branch, came to light on July 9, leading to a swift police response and the detention of three individuals.
The intricate web of deceit began to unravel when Pankaj Kumar, a 41-year-old Jharkhand native and the vigilant Branch Manager of SBI SME Branch, Gangtok, lodged an FIR. His complaint detailed how a seemingly legitimate transaction spiralled into a full-blown cyber heist. The saga commenced on July 4, 2025, when an official at the SBI branch received a call from an individual claiming to be the proprietor of Rajsons Enterprise, a valued and long-standing customer. The caller expressed an interest in opening a substantial Fixed Deposit of Rs 5 crore, seeking an overdraft facility against it. A meeting was even scheduled for later that day at their Tadong office, only to be cancelled citing personal reasons.
The charade continued into July 5. The caller, maintaining the façade, reiterated the FD proposal, claiming funds would be transferred from their ICICI Bank account and setting up another meeting. However, at approximately 10:55 am, a new twist emerged. The imposter urgently requested an RTGS transfer of Rs 10,55,935 from Rajsons Enterprise’s SBI account to a Union Bank of India account, citing an exhausted cheque book. Trusting the established relationship with Rajsons Enterprise, the branch processed the transaction, with the caller promising to sign the necessary paperwork later. The deception was exposed barely an hour and a half later, around 12:25 pm, when authentic staff from Rajsons Enterprise contacted the branch, reporting similar suspicious calls and unequivocally confirming that no such request had been made by their proprietor.
Internal verification by the bank revealed the sophisticated nature of the fraud. The impersonator had employed voice modulation, a fake WhatsApp display photo, and alarmingly accurate customer details to mimic the proprietor. Furthermore, the imposter had also directly contacted Rajsons Enterprise staff with similar requests, attempting to manipulate them into adding beneficiaries and conducting transactions through internet banking. Realising the extent of the meticulously planned cyber fraud, the Branch Manager immediately sought police intervention, leading to the registration of a case under Sections 318(2) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Following the FIR, three persons have been detained under Section 35 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, and one vehicle has been challaned under the Central Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, as the investigation continues to unearth the full scope of this audacious cybercrime.
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