Police have also seized Rs 1.09 lakh cash from the gang and impounded three cars. (Representational)
Eight persons were arrested for allegedly duping multiple banks to the tune of Rs 23 crore by floating over a dozen bogus companies and taking loans using forged documents like Aadhaar and PAN cards of non-existing employees, police said here on Tuesday.
The bogus companies had opened the accounts of its non-existing employees and even deducted provident fund (PF) from their salaries in order to ensure that the existence of the firms is not put under doubt by banks in giving the loans, they said.
The gang was busted by officials of the Phase 1 police station with the help of the local unit of the Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh Police, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Noida) Harish Chander said.
"On the basis of electronic surveillance, manual intelligence and confidential information, eight members of the gang were arrested today for fraudulently taking loans from various banks by creating fake documents and IDs of different persons and private limited companies," Mr Chander said.
He said police had received a complaint from HDFC Bank here, claiming that some loans have been taken from it fraudulently in the name of bogus companies after which an FIR was lodged and an investigation launched.
"The gang targeted various banks like HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and Axis Bank. It had floated bogus companies and got them registered, with employees that existed only on papers except for some directors. They would take loans from banks and show that the fund has been used in giving salaries to the employees," the DCP said.
"The accused not only showed on paper that they were paying salaries to the non-existing employees of these firms but also showed deductions of provident fund. They deposited some money in the PF accounts of these ghost employees from time to time in order to ensure that the banks do not cast any doubt on them while giving loans," Mr Chander said.
So far, police have found that the fraudsters had floated 13 bogus companies and fraudulently taken loan to the tune of Rs 23 crore from various banks and not repaid it, he said.
Those arrested have been identified as Anurag Chatkara, Aman Sharma, Danish Chhibber, Wasim Ahmed, Mohsin, Jeetu alias Jitendra, Ravikant Mishra and Tanuj Sharma, according to police.
Police said they have recovered 395 cheque books of different banks, 327 debit cards, 278 PAN cards, and 93 Aadhaar cards in the names of different persons.
Besides, a currency note counting machine, an identity card making machine, stamps of different companies, 187 mobile phones, and three laptops have also been recovered from the possession of the accused, they said.
Police have also seized Rs 1.09 lakh cash from the gang and impounded three cars -- Hyundai Aura, Hyundai i10 Nios, and Kia Seltos, and two Royal Enfield motorcycles.
An FIR has been lodged under Indian Penal Code provisions for cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy against the accused, who have been sent to jail by the court, police added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)