Tuesday, 02 January 2024 12:17 GMT

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee Gets Back 'Stolen' ₹57 Lakh, Slams Lack Of Anti-Cyber Fraud Unit


(MENAFN- Live Mint) TMC Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee has received the ₹57 lakh that was stolen from one of his SBI accounts, but has raised the question of what security is there for the common people of the country against cyber fraud if someone of his stature can be targetted so easily, as per an NDTV report.

Banerjee recently lost ₹57 lakh due to a cyber fraud that targetted a dormant account of his with the State Bank of India (SBI).

The lawyer-politician questioned why the Ministry of Finance under Nirmala Sitharaman is not setting up an anti-cyber fraud unit.

Banerjee, as per the publication, also said that the bank had credited the money back into his account and cited the issue to an internal error.

Also Read | What is KYC fraud? Signs to watch and tips to stay protected

"If a person like me were to fall under the trap of bank fraud, what will the common people face? Why is the Ministry of Finance not setting up an anti-cyber fraud unit?" Banerjee told NDTV.

Banerjee, in his interview with the publication, has claimed that someone carried out the scam using his KYC (know your customer) details.

He had earlier alleged that the miscreants had added a phone number to that account, following which the OTPs (one-time-password) and details of the transactions were sent to them.

"The criminals transferred ₹57 lakh from my account. If this can happen to an MP, what will be the condition of a common man? How come these people find out that I had such a significant amount of money in my account?" Banerjee had then questioned, as per PTI.

"Someone did the scam by using KYC. My photo was superimposed. PAN and Aadhaar were used wrongfully. Using that account, nearly ₹57 lakh has been siphoned from my account that I won as MP," he told NDTV.

The bank has filed a complaint with Kolkata Police's cybercrime division after detecting suspicious transactions in Banerjee's account.

The bank later credited ₹57 lakh into his Parliament account, Banerjee told the publication.

Also Read | SBI scam alert! Scammer poses as bank employee, sends fake KYC link, ID card

"After SBI lodged a complaint, the case has been under investigation. On Friday night, the SBI credited ₹57 lakh in my Parliament account. They said it was because of some internal fault," he said.

NDTV spoke to official sources in the know who said that cybercriminals had gained access to Banerjee's account with the SBI at the West Bengal legislative assembly sub-branch, and the amount was transferred using a series of unauthorised transactions.

The account from which the money was stolen was opened in the time period of 2001-2006 when Banerjee was MLA from the Asansol South constituency.

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