Bengaluru: A 26-year-old private firm employee has alleged that two of his female friends misused his bank account and SIM card to carry out cyber fraud transactions, after police traced suspicious money transfers to his account during an unrelated investigation.
Based on the complaint filed by the Rajajinagar resident, the North Division CEN Police have registered a case against the accused, identified as Nandini and Deepthi, under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act for identity theft and cheating by personation using computer resources, along with Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for dishonestly inducing delivery of property.
Account shared out of trust, later flagged by police
According to the complainant, he had known Nandini for nearly five years. In December 2024, she allegedly told him she did not have a bank account and requested to use his Karnataka Bank account for financial transactions. Trusting her, he shared his account number and handed over a SIM card linked to the account.
Certified Cyber Crime Investigator Course Launched by Centre for Police Technology
He later claimed that Nandini, along with her friend Deepthi and others, used his banking credentials and SIM for multiple suspicious transactions without his knowledge. The matter came to light when police, while tracking a cyber fraud money trail in another case, found transfers routed through his account and summoned him for questioning.
Realising that his account had allegedly been used for illegal transactions, he approached the police and filed a formal complaint. Investigators are now examining the extent of the financial trail and the role of other possible members of the network.
Similar case involving rented bank accounts
In a separate but similar incident, a restaurant chef filed a complaint with the Whitefield cybercrime police stating that two of his friends had taken his bank account details in exchange for ₹1,000 for a day in 2024. Although he received the promised money, he later discovered that his accounts had been used to route funds linked to cyber fraud after police visited his residence during an investigation.
Police advisory: Never share bank or SIM access
A senior officer associated with the probe warned that sharing bank account details, ATM cards, SIM cards or OTP access with anyone — even friends — can make the account holder legally liable if the account is used for cybercrime.
Police have advised the public to:
- Never lend bank accounts for transactions
- Avoid sharing SIM cards linked to financial services
- Regularly monitor account statements
- Immediately report suspicious transactions
Officials said many cyber fraud networks use “mule accounts” — bank accounts taken from acquaintances or rented for small payments — to move illicit funds and evade detection.
Further investigation is under way to identify additional beneficiaries of the transactions and determine whether the accused are part of a larger cyber fraud racket.
