CURCHOREM/MARGAO: The Curchorem police uncovered a significant fraud involving Tanvi Vast, who prosed as a bank executive and Manager of the Bank Anand Jadhav. Both have been arrested. Vast targeted and defrauded senior citizens of lakhs of rupees and gold.
The accused, working in tandem with the Bank Manager of Central Bank Curchorem, exploited their trust to access their bank accounts and stole their savings and assets. Four complaints have been lodged against her. Meanwhile on Wednesday, SP South Sunita Sawant declared that the gold items which Tanvi Vast took from Ruzalina Correia of Kakoda Curchorem have been recovered from the Bank, based on which she took a gold loan.
In a shocking case of fraud, Tanvi Vast, the main accused, allegedly posed as an employee of the Central Bank of India’s Curchorem branch, gaining access to customers' accounts and valuables. Vast targeted senior citizens, earning their trust by presenting herself as a bank official.
Tanvi, who fraudulently infiltrated the bank, convinced her elderly victims to deposit their savings and gold assets into the bank. Promising to set up high-value fixed deposits, she opened accounts in their names but manipulated the details to access their funds.
Working with the bank manager, Anand Jadhav, the duo withdrew money from these fixed deposits and emptied gold jewelry from the victims' lockers. The fraud came to light when the victims, upon inquiry, discovered their accounts and lockers had been wiped clean.
The police arrested Tanvi Vast and Anand Jadhav on Tuesday. Investigations are ongoing to determine the full extent of the fraud and whether more victims or accomplices are involved.
Question also arises as to how did a centralised bank branch in Curchorem allowed the scam to take place, as the first fraud took place in July 31, 2023 wherein a 53-year-old resident of Chirknali, Cacora, Severina Fernandes, reported that she was fraudulently induced to transfer Rs 1.4 lakh from her account at the Central Bank of India. This case was not registered.
As per sources, Tanvi was working as bank employee in 2023. She had began her heist in 2023 by duping customers, to which the bank took action and fired Tanvi. Later on in April 2024, Anand Jadhav was transferred at the branch as the new manager. Through Jadhav, Tanvi got into the bank as NGO worker and together they began duping senior citizens till November 2024.