Aligarh: A government employee in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh district has alleged that ₹10,85,981 was siphoned from his Bank of Baroda account through 12 unauthorized UPI transactions, draining his lifetime savings within a short span of time. The victim, who has said he never activated UPI services on the account, has approached the bank and police authorities for action.
Savings Drained Through 12 Transactions
The victim, Santosh Kumar Sharma, 58, is posted as a Senior Assistant in the District Village Industries Office and lives in the Sasni Gate area of Jai Ganj. His account is maintained at the Bank of Baroda’s Masoodabad branch.
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According to his written complaint, the fraudulent transactions began on May 8, when money suddenly started getting debited from his account without authorization. Sharma alleged that cybercriminals executed 12 consecutive UPI-based transactions and transferred the full amount into multiple unknown bank accounts.
He stated that he had never activated UPI services on the account and described the stolen money as his lifetime savings.
Bank Freezes Account After Complaint
After noticing the unauthorized deductions, Sharma reported the matter to the bank branch. The bank froze transactions linked to the account and blocked UPI access, but by then the entire amount had already been moved across multiple accounts.
The victim later registered a complaint through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal helpline 1930. Based on the complaint, alerts were issued to concerned banks, and efforts were initiated to freeze and reverse the transactions wherever possible.
The incident has raised fresh concerns over banking security and digital payment fraud, particularly in cases where victims claim they did not knowingly activate or authorize UPI access.
Cyber Cell Tracks Money Trail
Police cyber cell officials have started a detailed investigation into the case. Transaction IDs, beneficiary accounts and digital logs are being examined to trace the movement of funds and identify the final recipients.
Preliminary findings suggest that multiple suspicious accounts may have been used to route the stolen money, making the trail more difficult to track. Investigators are coordinating with banks to identify these accounts and block further movement of funds.
Officials have also informed the victim’s department to ensure administrative support during the probe. Banking records and digital footprints are being scrutinized to establish how the breach occurred.
Authorities have assured that efforts are underway to recover the stolen money and identify those involved in the fraudulent transactions.
