In a breach of judicial banking integrity, cybercriminals infiltrated the State Bank of India (SBI) account inside the Indore district court and withdrew ₹64 lakh via UPI transfers between March and June 2025. The case, uncovered during a failed payment attempt, has sparked a multi-state investigation led by the Crime Branch against a Gujarat-based father‑son duo.
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Triggering Alert from a Failed ₹6.5 Lakh Payment
The fraud came to light when a payment of ₹6.5 lakh from an Additional District Judge’s account bounced, revealing insufficient funds. The bank manager, Puneet Tiwari, reported that several court-related accounts were operated from the same branch. A subsequent audit traced approximately ₹64 lacks in unauthorized transactions dated from March through June 11, all carried out via UPI.
Investigators found that the transfers were linked to mobile numbers associated with Sahil (aka Sajid Rangrej) and his father, Sajid Abdul Sattar, based in Valsad, Gujarat. Though the funds were routed through accounts registered in other names, digital footprint analysis connected them to the suspects.
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Father‑Son Duo Targeted for Exploitation of Judicial Funds
Following the complaint lodged by SBI, local and Gujarat-based Crime Branch teams initiated a coordinated probe. The investigation is focused on the accused duo, believed to have orchestrated the scheme by leveraging UPI-based withdrawals from the court’s bank account. The agency has registered a formal case and dispatched officers to Valsad to trace the entire fraud network, including any accomplices in other jurisdictions.
Authorities are analyzing banking records, call data, and transaction logs to reconstruct how the fraudulent UPI transfers bypassed internal controls. The SBI branch manager confirmed multiple court accounts operated there, which may indicate vulnerabilities or insider collusion. Key investigative steps include tracking the illicit money flow and freezing implicated accounts. Arrests and asset recoveries are expected as the case unfolds.
About the Author – Anirudh Mittal is a B.Sc. LL.B. (Hons.) student at National Forensic Sciences University, Gandhinagar, with a keen interest in corporate law and tech-driven legal change.