Ludhiana police recently caught a cyber fraud gang involved in an illegal transfer of Rs. 57 lakh from a non-resident Indian’s bank account. Those arrested are from different states, including Delhi, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh. The police have recovered some amount and other items like a laptop, mobile phones, and ATM cards, as per a report by The Tribune.
Scammers Obtained NRI Customer’s Mobile Number
Ramandeep M Grewal, an NRI residing in the United Kingdom, discontinued a mobile number linked to his bank account. The number, like others, was issued to someone else. However, Sukhjit Singh, a relationship manager at HDFC Bank, Ludhiana, along with Luv Kumar from Bihar, convinced the new owner of the NRI’s re-issued mobile number and took control of it.
Then, the gang used the mobile number, still registered with the bank, to hack into the NRI’s net banking account using one-time passwords sent to the registered contact number. They changed the linked email address, added a couple of beneficiaries to the account, and ordered a new debit card.
Once the gang obtained the debit credit, they transferred a whopping Rs. 57 lakh from the NRI customer’s account to three accounts held by Sneha (Chandigarh), Kirna Devi (Faridabad), and Nilesh Pandey (Ghazipur). Following this, the NRI customer filed a complaint on September 5, 2023, registering a case at the Sadar Police Station in Ludhiana. With the help of the bank’s manager, Punit Sahni, the police were able to track the transactions.
Mandeep Singh Sidhu, the Commissioner of Police, told The Tribune that Sukhjit Singh identified potential targets, including elderly individuals who might not be too familiar with the norms of online banking, dormant account holders, and NRIs.
The police have recovered Rs. 17.35 lakh, a MacBook Air (costs about Rs. 80,000), four mobile phones, three cheque books, and several ATM cards. Further, Rs. 7.24 lakhs have been frozen in bank accounts. They have also brought in four key gang members, including Sukhjit, Luv, Nilesh, and Abhishek.
As a precaution, users should never give up a phone number that’s registered with their banking service providers. Often, the numbers we give up are re-issued to someone else, which could lead to such situations. If someone needs to change the phone number or get a new one, changing the registered mobile number on the bank’s portal (or via contacting them) is the first thing that should be done.
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