In a shocking incident of cyber crime, a school teacher and Booth Level Officer (BLO) from Kolkata's Anandapur area lost his life savings amounting to Rs 8.4 lakh to fraudsters. The victim, Shiv Kumar Yadav, did not share any OTP or click on suspicious links, making the sophisticated theft even more alarming.
How The Fraud Unfolded During Official Duty
The incident occurred on December 22 around 2 pm, while Yadav was deeply engrossed in his Summary Revision (SIR) work, specifically uploading data on the BLO application. Being preoccupied with his official responsibilities, he did not check his phone immediately when a message alert beeped.
"I was in the midst of SIR work when a message on my phone beeped. Checking the message later, I discovered to my dismay that it was an alert of Rs 47,000 deducted from my account," Yadav told TOI. He rushed to the State Bank of India's Ballygunge branch, but in the meantime, four more unauthorized transactions drained his account completely.
Sophisticated Method: PAPL Account Opened Without Consent
According to the police complaint filed at the Anandapur police station, the fraudsters employed a complex method. After the initial Rs 47,000 transaction, the accused allegedly opened a Pre-Approved Personal Loan (PAPL) account against Yadav's fixed deposits worth Rs 8 lakh.
The loan amount was credited to his salary account and then swiftly withdrawn fraudulently. Yadav emphasized in his complaint that he neither shared any OTP or link nor received any call from the fraudsters, raising serious questions about the security of the banking process.
Police Investigation and Aftermath
Based on Yadav's detailed complaint, the Anandapur police registered a First Information Report (FIR) on Saturday and have launched a full-scale probe into the cyber fraud. The case highlights the vulnerability of citizens, even those engaged in critical democratic processes like election preparation work.
"I lost my life savings," said a distraught Yadav, who serves as a BLO in the Kasba assembly constituency. The incident serves as a stark warning for all bank customers to enable transaction alerts and monitor accounts regularly, even during busy work hours.
The police are investigating all digital footprints and banking logs to trace the perpetrators behind this audacious cyber heist that exploited a moment of distraction during official government work.
