In a recent case of Mumbai crime, a 65-year-old doctor living in the United States fell victim to a scam, marking another instance of crime in the city, and lost ₹9.77 lakh. According to news reports, a man who has lived in the U.S. for 35 years but frequently visits India has reportedly opened an NRE (Non-Resident External) account in Mumbai with a major bank.
On January 18, Hussain received a bank notification informing him of multiple unauthorised transactions, including ₹25,000 transferred to an account under the name Premlata and ₹60,000 to an account belonging to Golu Ahirwar. Later that day, an additional ₹5.36 lakh was transferred via IMPS to another account.
Worried about the unauthorised transactions, Hussain contacted the bank, which revealed that an additional ₹3.56 lakh had been transferred on January 17 through three separate transactions. In total, ₹9.77 lakh had been transferred to various recipients.
The man informed the bank that he had not authorised these transactions, prompting the bank to freeze his account. In February, he travelled to Mumbai and, on the 25th, filed a complaint with the police. Whether the bank conducted an internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the transactions is unclear.
At the time of writing this article, it is unclear how large amounts were transferred from the bank account without proper authorisation in this Mumbai crime. There is no information available regarding whether the man’s mobile phone was hacked or whether he had installed an APK that provided the criminals with access to his device.
Financial crimes and scams are becoming increasingly severe, and several banks, as well as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), are now launching awareness programs for the general public. However, in this particular case, it is difficult to place a finger on whether there was some oversight on the victim’s side, or whether the criminals were too smart for the law. It remains to be seen whether the police investigation reveals some fresh facet in this case later.
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