Three held for Rs 25L online fraud in Chandigarh

The UT cybercrime police have arrested three men in connection with a case, in which Rs 25 lakh was fraudulently withdrawn from a local resident’s bank account.

The fraud came to light when the victim, who has a savings account with Punjab National Bank, Sector 26, discovered that his balance had fallen drastically. When he visited the branch in April to withdraw Rs 5,000, he was informed that multiple transactions worth Rs 25.54 lakh had been carried out through UPI, IMPS and RTGS between March and April 2025.

The victim was shocked, as he did not use a smartphone, Internet banking or any mobile applications that could facilitate such fraudulent transfers. He lodged a complaint with the bank, and subsequently with the cybercrime police. The FIR was registered on May 13. Investigations revealed that the complainant’s registered mobile number had earlier been deactivated by his telecom service provider due to inactivity and was later reissued to Balwinder (33). On realising that the number was linked to a bank account with a substantial balance, Balwinder fraudulently activated the Internet banking and siphoned off money from the victim’s account.

Further investigations revealed that he was assisted by Anup Kumar, a contract employee with the State Bank of India, and Pardeep Kumar, a clerk at Punjab National Bank in Sirsa. Anup helped the accused in activating net banking, while Pardeep is alleged to have shared the ATM card details of the complainant’s account. Balwinder was arrested on August 20 in Rajasthan, where a mobile phone and SIM card used in the crime were recovered from him. Based on disclosures made by him, Anup Kumar was nabbed in Sirsa on August 22, followed by the arrest of Pardeep Kumar from Ellenabad, Sirsa.

The police have secured Rs 5.43 lakh in Balwinder’s accounts, and further recoveries are in process.

Citizens can check for unauthorised SIM cards issued in their names through the government’s TAFCOP portal and seek help from the National Cyber Crime Helpline (1930) in case of suspected fraud.