Identity theft: Fraudster applies for 7 loans

AHMEDABAD: What started as an innocuous phone call for inquiry on whether he had applied for an auto loan turned out to be a nightmare for Rajesh Panchal, a resident of Nava Vadaj. When Panchal got to know that he had been a guarantor for an auto loan, he could not believe his ears.

But upon checking at the bank, he found that it was a case of identity theft where someone used his PAN and two years of IT returns by changing photograph, signature, address and phone number. Panchal has filed a complaint with Navrangpura police for forgery and other charges. With the documents, the person had applied for seven auto and personal loans from all major banks.

Panchal, working as a team leader with a private firm, got a call on October 7 from Cosmos Bank's Gujarat University branch. The manager had called to ask whether he had applied for auto loan. As Panchal had not applied, he decided to probe the case and visited the bank. During his visit, he saw his PAN and IT returns with the bank. He soon realized that someone wanted to commit fraud.

"The documents were in the name of Rajeshkumar who had become guarantor for financer Mahendra Chopra and the beneficiary was a Vasna resident. The manager also called up on Rajeshkumar's number. He promised to come to the bank but never came. Panchal met Chopra and the loan applicant but could not get much information. Rajeshkumar had mentioned his address in Nana Chiloda," said a Navrangpura police official.

Panchal told TOI that he checked with the income tax department when he got to know that there was altercation in his PAN records after which he blocked it to prevent further misuse. "I checked CIBIL score online when I got to know that it was not a one-off incident, the person had already approached six banks earlier with the same documents. I fear that the person might have also approached cooperative banks or other financial institutions whose records are not online," he said.

Panchal said that he suspects more such victims with similar modus operandi. "We are awaiting the police action and probe in Rajeshkumar's identity. Meanwhile, I advise citizens to check their financial records and ensure that they are not misused," said Panchal.