A cybercrook committed a Rs 1.17 crore fraud on a nationalised bank's Aundh branch in Pune by impersonating a businessman who was a premium account holder of the financial institution. The incident came to light after a bank officer lodged a formal complaint with the Chatushrungi police on Friday.
How the Fraud Unfolded
The crook allegedly got bank officials to make RTGS transfers to five different accounts on March 30 after sending a request on the letterhead of the businessman's property and real estate development firm through a WhatsApp message. The police managed to freeze Rs 90 lakh of the cheated amount, which was lying in suspicious accounts.
Details of the Complaint
Senior inspector Uttam Bhajnawale of Chaturshrungi police cited the complaint and said, "A senior woman officer of the bank received a call from an unknown number. The caller identified himself as the bank's premium account holder, who runs a property and real estate development business. The caller made enquiries about the rate of interest the bank would offer him on his plan to invest Rs 4 crore in a fixed deposit account. The officer gave him information about the interest rate."
Bhajnawale added, "The caller told the woman officer that he was busy with a property transaction and had exhausted his cheque book. Claiming that he was away from home, he asked the officer if the bank would make money transfer from his firm's account through RTGS based on a request on the company's letterhead, which he would send through WhatsApp. The caller followed up by sending such a request of money transfer to five bank accounts on the firm's letterhead. The bank officer ran a preliminary check, in which the letter and the support documents appeared to be genuine."
Discovery of Fraud
The officer said the bank then made the RTGS transfers. The bank officer tried to contact the caller the next day but the latter's phone was switched off. Sensing something amiss, the bank officer made a call to the businessman's property and realty development firm office. The authorities there told her that they never made any calls to the bank nor did they issue any letter requesting for RTGS transfers. An official of the firm then reported the matter to the 1930 online grievance portal number.
Police Action
"We established the money trail and froze bank accounts containing a collective sum of Rs 90 lakh," senior police inspector Bhajnawale said. The police are investigating the case and trying to trace the cybercrook.
