The state Crime Investigation Department’s cyber crime sleuths arrested three people who duped a bank customer by collecting his bank account details from his mobile phone service provider. According to cyber crime SP, Mr U. Ramamohan, the arrested were identified as Tajuddin Mohammed Saith, 58, Basava Kumar Sivappa alias Harish, 54, and Paresh Mohanta, 26, residents of Mumbai.
Another accused, Fardeen, a Nigerian national, is at large and CID has sought a red corner notice against him through the Interpol. In a brazen act of fraud, the swindlers took the mobile phone and Internet route to commit the fraud. On March 5, 2012, the complainant received an e-mail ostensibly from the Income-Tax department saying he was due for a tax refund. Unwittingly, he gave all his bank account details. On June 15, his Airtel phone service was disconnected at the behest of someone from Kurnool. A day later, he got back his SIM connection and was notified by his bank of a transfer of Rs 5 lakh to an unknown account.
The accused confessed that he had opened a bank account to receive money from the customer’s account and obtained his SIM card to get the one time password for making an online transfer.