Bank account turns ‘suspect’: Man caught in cybercrime net

Mysuru: It is a common belief that depositing money in banks is safer than keeping it at home. However, recent incidents reveal that even banks are not secure.

Alarmingly, individuals with bank accounts — despite committing no mistakes — now face the risk of being labelled suspects under cybercrime laws.

Kiran Naik, a Mysuru resident, holds an account at State Bank of India (SBI), Yadavagiri Branch. On Mar. 25, his salary of Rs. 20,000 was credited to his account.

While he was in Bengaluru at the time, he withdrew cash from an ATM. After spending Rs. 300 on petrol, he was shocked to find his account balance had plummeted to minus Rs. 9,772 (negative balance), despite having over Rs. 500 in his account before the transaction.

Concerned, Kiran visited the Thavarekere branch of SBI in Bengaluru to report the issue. The staff there directed him to his home branch in Mysuru.

At the Yadavagiri branch, he was informed that similar discrepancies had affected several customers on Mar. 15 and again on Mar. 25. However, bank officials were clueless about how to resolve the issue and remained non-committal.

Funds diverted to unknown account

In a desperate attempt to test his account, Kiran deposited Re. 1 and later Rs. 20, but neither amount was credited. Instead, the transaction status showed ‘transferred’, indicating that any deposit was being rerouted to an unknown account.

When Kiran requested to close his account due to these alarming irregularities, the bank staff informed him that his account had been flagged as a ‘suspect account.’ They warned him that closing the account immediately would not clear the suspect status, potentially causing further complications.

Instead, the staff advised Kiran to wait until they received instructions from the cybercrime division via e-mail. Shockingly, Kiran was flagged as a ‘Layer-3 suspect’ in a cybercrime case registered in Jaipur, Jharkhand, after fraudsters used his account for third-level transactions.

Cybercrime link exposed

Upon reviewing Kiran’s account, it was discovered that a cybercrime incident involving his account occurred in Jaipur, Jharkhand. Being tagged as ‘cybercrime Layer-3’ means his account was the third party in a chain of fraudulent transactions.

When Kiran approached the Yadavagiri SBI branch to file a complaint, the staff refused to accept it, stating they were awaiting an e-mail from the cybercrime division.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Kiran said: “The bank is washing its hands of the case. They are refusing to close my account. Any money I deposit is being transferred elsewhere. I have an EMI due on April 1 and without sufficient funds, my CIBIL score will be affected.”

Kiran added that he even managed to obtain the contact number of Jaipur Cybercrime Station but got no response when he called, leaving him distressed. Frustrated by the bank’s inaction, Kiran has now consulted a lawyer and plans to file a case at Mysuru Cybercrime Station.

Shockingly, Kiran revealed that his relative, Ravikumar, who holds an account at the SBI branch in Vivekanandanagar, is facing a similar issue, with his account showing a negative balance of Rs. 7,500.

Kiran also pointed out a disturbing detail — while his bank mini-statement displayed only legitimate transactions made by him, the fraudulent cybercrime-related transfers were not visible. He noted that if he hadn’t checked his balance, all his future deposits would have been siphoned off without his knowledge.