Bengaluru city police have arrested an Axis Bank branch manager from the Hesaraghatta branch in northwest Bengaluru and two of his associates for allegedly defrauding a businessman of Rs 2.6 crore. The accused, identified as manager Vinod Kumar, Arun, and Kiran, have been taken into police custody for further questioning.
How the Fraud Unfolded
According to police, the gang duped businessman Subramanya BT, a resident of Manjunath Nagar in Peenya, who runs a logistics and manpower business. Subramanya holds an account at the Axis Bank branch on Hesaraghatta Road, where the transactions took place. In his complaint, Subramanya stated that Vinod, posing as a businessman named Rahul, contacted him via a WhatsApp call in November last year.
“The caller said he ran a few logistics and construction companies. From then on, he would call me regularly and discuss business. One day, he offered a business proposal, saying he could generate business worth Rs 30 crore for me through his logistics and construction activities. I had to pay him an advance commission of 10%,” Subramanya stated in his complaint.
Transactions and Suspicion
During one conversation, Subramanya noticed that the caller's voice resembled that of branch manager Vinod. “I didn’t think much of it, dismissing the idea that Vinod would contact me using another name. Meanwhile, I made an online transaction of Rs 2.1 crore to Rahul’s account between November and February. I transferred Rs 54 lakh to another account mentioned by Rahul in the same period. Both accounts were with the Hesaraghatta branch,” the complaint read.
After receiving the money, Rahul became unreachable and stopped answering calls, prompting Subramanya to realize he had been cheated.
Police Investigation
An investigating officer said: “Preliminary investigation revealed that Rs 2.6 crore was transferred to an account in the name of Mallikarjun. Also, the companies that Vinod claimed ownership of are run by Mallikarjun. Vinod used Mallikarjun’s details to dupe Subramanya. We have to question Vinod further about the possible involvement of others in the crime.”
The police are continuing their investigation to uncover any additional accomplices and recover the defrauded amount.
