Vadodara: In a scam straight out of a Bollywood thriller, conmen set up a fully functional-looking branch of a small finance bank for a day, complete with computers, staff-like activity and unsuspecting job applicants, to dupe a Dahod jeweller of gold biscuits worth Rs 28.6 lakh.They branded a rented premises as a branch of a small finance bank using the lender’s logo and colour scheme, and invited candidates for fake job interviews to create the impression of a bustling bank. The elaborate façade convinced jeweller Jay Gandhi that he was dealing with genuine bankers.They rented a space in a commercial complex and even got furniture resembling that of a bank made in urgency, said police.According to Gandhi’s complaint lodged at Dahod A Division police station, an unidentified man visited his jewellery showroom on Wednesday claiming to represent the bank. He said the bank wanted to donate 200 grams of gold biscuits during the Jagannath Rath Yatra and left behind a visiting card, saying the branch manager would get in touch.Later that day, another man identifying himself as Sumeet Kumar, the bank’s manager, called Gandhi and asked for the price of 200 grams of gold. After Gandhi quoted Rs 28.6 lakh, Kumar agreed to make the payment in cash and asked him to deliver the gold to the bank premises.On Thursday, Gandhi and his father reached the branch with the gold biscuits. Inside, they found around 10 people, computers and printers, giving the appearance of a newly opened bank. Kumar told them the branch would formally start operations later that afternoon.He accepted the gold biscuits and went into the locker room, saying he would fetch the cash. He returned carrying a bag and claimed it contained half the amount before repeatedly going back inside, asking whether Gandhi would accept Rs 100 and Rs 200 denomination notes.When Kumar failed to return for nearly 10 minutes, Gandhi entered the locker room only to find it empty. The accused had escaped through another exit with the gold biscuits.The bag handed over to Gandhi contained only blank sheets of paper.When Gandhi questioned the people present in the branch, they told him they too had been deceived and had been called there for job interviews.Police have registered a case of cheating and criminal conspiracy against two unidentified persons.“The accused created an entire bank setup to gain the victim’s confidence. Even the people inside the premises were unsuspecting job applicants who had been called for fake interviews. It was a meticulously planned operation. We are verifying details of the property from where the fake bank was run and efforts are on to trace the accused,” Dahod Local Crime Branch inspector Deepak Dhol said.