LUCKNOW, Jan. 22 -- Anger among depositors over an alleged multi-crore fixed deposit (FD) fraud escalated on Wednesday, with more than 25 customers staging a protest at a bank branch inside Shakuntala Mishra University campus on Mohaan Road, bringing operations to a halt. The protesters accused bank officials of collusion and demanded immediate recovery of their money, raising slogans inside the branch. The sit-in continued until the afternoon, forcing the branch to suspend services. Confirming the situation, Om Prakash Mishra, SSI, said complaints from over 40 account holders had surfaced during the investigation, pointing to large-scale financial fraud. Police have formally written to the bank's regional office seeking full cooperation in the ongoing probe. "Strict action will be taken against all those found guilty," officials added. Shiva Rao, banking correspondent (Bank Mitra), and his associate Deepak are already in jail in connection with the case. Police investigations revealed that forged FD receipts were allegedly issued to unsuspecting customers, causing losses running into crores. To pacify depositors, all branch employees stepped out, while police were deployed to maintain order. The bank management removed the branch manager and posted a new officer to manage operations....