Hyderabad: Alert SBI staff avert digital arrest scam being perpetrated, save 46 lakh of elderly couple

Had it not been for the alert staff, the cyber fraud would have been perpetrated on a retired PSU employee and his wife, who walked into the bank with a request to transfer Rs 46 lakh by RTGS to an account of ICICI Bank in Aurangabad.

Hyderabad: The alert staff of the State Bank of India (SBI) Chandrayangutta Branch have averted the notorious digital arrest scam and saved the life earnings to the tune of Rs 46 lakh of an old couple.

Had it not been for the alert staff, the cyber fraud would have been perpetrated on a retired PSU employee and his wife, who walked into the bank with a request to transfer Rs 46 lakh by RTGS to an account of ICICI Bank in Aurangabad on Friday. The SBI senior associate B Praveen, who was manning the counter, sensed something amiss as the elderly couple was tense and restless. He had immediatley escorted them to the Branch head Dr Shiva Kumar.

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When the bank officials spoke to them about the transaction, the old couple relaxed a bit and narrated the entire sequence of what would have been a cyber fraud. The custormer told the officials that he and his wife were contacted by a video caller, who claimed himself to be an officer of the CBI. The couple were told that a a network of individuals including a man named Sunil Goel had orchestrated a staggering scam of Rs 100 crore and that Sunil Goel was already arrested by police. The couple were told that the police was the lookout to arrest the retired man as a bank account was opened with the latter’s KYC and Aadhar credentials.

For the next three days, the old man and his wife were held hostage under video call by the cyber criminals. The couple were forbidden from contacting or disclosing the matter to anyone. The scammers claimed that their men were waiting outside their house and were threatened and blackmailed saying that they would have to arrested him and his son if they didn’t transfer Rs 46 lakh from their fixed deposit account immediately to their account.

In desperation, the customer and his wife went to the SBI Chandrayangutta branch to transfer the funds and submitted their RTGS fund transfer request for transfer of amount to the account of M/s Mizani Electratech held with ICICI Bank, Pundlik nagar, Aurangabad. The Branch Manager Dr. Shiva Kumar who sensed some foul play contacted the customer’s children and informed them. He had also a complaint with the cyber crime helpline 1930 and contacted the Canara Bank was also reached out to verify if any account was opened in the name of customer as claimed by the fraudsters. The Canara Bank confirmed that no such account was opened.

When they realised that they were saved from being cheated of their life time earnings, the customer and his wife thanked the bank staff profusely, the press release added.