CBI Court Rejects Bail of GST Inspector and Law Student in IBPS Bank Recruitment Impersonation Scam

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Monday rejected the bail applications of a serving Central GST inspector and a law student arrested in connection with a nationwide bank recruitment impersonation racket. The case involves allegations that 46 impersonators appeared on behalf of 135 candidates in recruitment examinations conducted by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) between 2020 and 2024.

The two accused, Rajeev Ranjan (42), a GST inspector posted in Kolkata, and Abhishek Kumar alias Roshan (32), a law student, were arrested on October 8. According to the CBI, Ranjan allegedly appeared in examinations on behalf of four candidates, helping them secure jobs in UCO Bank, Bihar Gramin Bank and Union Bank of India.

The CBI alleged that Ranjan impersonated Manish Kumar, Amit Kumar, Rishabh Rai and Karan Kartik during preliminary and main examinations, as well as document verification. He also appeared for two of these candidates during their interviews. To establish his involvement, the agency presented photographs, thumb impressions and iris scan records obtained from IBPS. The CBI told the court that Ranjan’s iris scan matched the records of the person who appeared on behalf of all four candidates.

The second accused, Abhishek Kumar, was allegedly involved in impersonating Harimohan Meena during the preliminary examination, main examination and document verification. Meena later secured a job at Baroda Rajasthan Kshetriya Gramin Bank. The CBI relied on iris scan records to establish Kumar’s alleged involvement in the impersonation.

Both accused challenged the legality of their arrests and requested bail. Their lawyers argued that they had cooperated with the investigation and that the CBI had already collected the necessary evidence. Ranjan’s defence also argued that prior approval under the Prevention of Corruption Act was required before investigating him because he was a government employee. Kumar’s lawyer told the court that his continued custody could affect his education, as his final-year law examinations were approaching and he could lose an academic year.

The defence also argued that the FIR was the third case registered in connection with similar examination impersonation allegations. However, the court rejected this argument, observing that the earlier CBI cases registered in Bhopal were related to candidates recruited by Madhya Pradesh Gramin Bank. In comparison, the present case involved 135 candidates who allegedly secured appointments in different banks across several states. The court held that the wider scope of the alleged conspiracy justified a separate investigation.

While rejecting the bail applications, Special Judge P B Ghuge noted that the CBI investigation covered 22 examinations conducted between 2020 and 2024. A total of 135 candidates were allegedly recruited through impersonation in these examinations. The court also observed that the investigation was still underway to identify the involvement of other impersonators, selected candidates, public servants and private organisations.

While rejecting Rajeev Ranjan’s bail application, the judge observed that he did not deserve to be released on bail at this stage of the investigation. The court considered the seriousness of the allegations, the progress of the investigation and the specific role attributed to him. The court also rejected Abhishek Kumar’s bail application on similar grounds.

The CBI registered the case following a complaint from IBPS, which detected suspected impersonation in recruitment examinations conducted between 2020 and 2024. During its analysis, IBPS identified 257 suspected candidates, of whom 180 were already working in public sector banks and regional rural banks. The investigation is continuing to establish the full extent of the alleged nationwide recruitment fraud.

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