Bank, customer duped of Rs 12 lakh

PUNE: The Dattawadi police have booked unidentified person/s for cheating a city-based bank and its customer, a businessman, to the tune of Rs 12 lakh.

Using e-banking facilities, fraudster/s, masquerading as a customer, requested the bank for a change in email and cell phone number. The bank accepted the request, processed and approved the transaction without the knowledge of the businessman. The crime took place between September 5 and 11 this year.

Bank of Maharashtra’s joint manager Umeshkumar Parate (41), a resident of Ambegaon Budruk, lodged a complaint with the Dattawadi police. After going through the money trails, police booked a man based in Dwarka in Delhi but are yet to ascertain his identity. The bank’s branch is located on Tilak Road. The matter came to light after the businessman from Sadashiv Peth approached the bank, saying that somebody had executed 41 online money transfers from his account, using e-banking facilities.

The bank officials then checked their record and found that somebody had applied for a change in the phone number and email id using online facilities. The businessman thus did not receive any updates on his cell phone when the suspect/s made as many as 41 transactions. The suspect/s transferred the money to a bank account in Delhi.