An FIR has been registered against staff of a private bank’s Jankipuram branch in Lucknow following a court order in connection with an alleged cyber fraud in which over ₹11 lakh was siphoned off from a customer’s account. The case was filed after the complainant alleged inaction by the bank despite timely reporting of unauthorised transactions.
Unauthorised Transactions Detected Through SMS Alert
According to the FIR, the fraud came to light on June 20, 2024, when the victim, Kumar Vikram, received an SMS alert at 2:18 pm regarding a ₹5 lakh transfer that he had not authorised. Upon contacting customer care, he found that transactions of ₹3.50 lakh, ₹1.50 lakh and ₹5,000 had already been carried out a day earlier.
FCRF Returns With CDPO, Its Premier Data Protection Certification for Privacy Professionals
Further debits of ₹5 lakh and ₹6 lakh were allegedly made on the same day, taking the total amount siphoned off to ₹11.05 lakh. The FIR, registered under Section 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2008, names the branch manager and other employees, along with unidentified persons.
Allegations of Delay and Lapses in Bank Response
The complainant alleged that despite informing the bank promptly, no immediate action was taken and he was asked to wait 24 hours before services were blocked. He also questioned how such large transactions were processed without OTP verification or timely alerts, raising concerns over the bank’s security protocols.
He further stated that the bank temporarily credited ₹16.05 lakh to his account during its internal investigation but reversed the amount on September 17, 2024, without prior notice. The bank later informed him on December 18, 2024, that the transactions were attributed to “customer negligence”, according to the FIR.
Court Intervention Leads to FIR Registration
The complainant said that no action was taken on his complaints to the cyber police and senior bank officials, which led him to approach the court. Acting on the court’s directions, the FIR was registered at Jankipuram police station on April 11.
Police said the matter is under investigation, and the allegations regarding the role of bank staff, transaction processing and security lapses are being examined.
