Agartala paediatrician alleges Rs 7 lakh siphoned from bank account

Agartala: A senior paediatrician has alleged that nearly Rs 7 lakh was withdrawn from his UCO Bank account through multiple transactions between July 6 and July 15, despite his claim that he neither shared an OTP nor used internet banking during the period.

The doctor, who holds an account at the bank's Purvasha branch, said he had been in Kolkata for nearly a month for treatment of an eye-related condition. He claimed that he had reduced his mobile phone use considerably during his stay and generally operated his bank account through cheques.

According to his complaint, an unidentified caller contacted the doctor's family while he was away and allegedly claimed to be calling from the bank. The caller reportedly sought an OTP for verification. The doctor's wife answered the call and allegedly told the caller that the family would contact the bank directly if any verification was required. No OTP was allegedly shared, according to the complaint.

The alleged unauthorised transactions came to light after the doctor returned to Agartala and visited the bank on August 7 to withdraw money. He was informed that several transactions had taken place from his account over the preceding days, involving a total amount of nearly Rs 7 lakh.

Bank officials subsequently advised him that he may have fallen victim to cyber fraud.

The doctor has questioned how the transactions could have been carried out without his knowledge, claiming that he had not opted for internet banking and did not use an ATM card.

He further alleged that bank officials told him that transaction alerts had been sent to his registered mobile number. The doctor, however, questioned whether the receipt of SMS alerts alone could establish that the transactions were authorised, particularly as he was away from Agartala and had limited use of his phone during his medical treatment.

The doctor also alleged that he did not receive a satisfactory explanation from the bank about how the transactions were carried out or what steps were being taken to recover the money. He was instead advised to approach the cybercrime authorities.

He subsequently approached the cybercrime unit and was directed to lodge a complaint at the concerned police station. According to his account, questions were also raised about why he had not checked the transaction messages received on his mobile phone.

Authorities are currently examining the allegations. At this stage, it has not been established how the transactions were initiated, how they were authenticated or whether any banking credentials were compromised.

The case has raised concerns over the security of bank accounts, particularly when customers report transactions as unauthorised. The investigation will need to establish the transaction trail, the channels used to transfer the money and the beneficiary accounts involved.

The complainant has sought a detailed investigation into the alleged withdrawals and requested that authorities trace the transferred funds and take steps for their recovery.

According to TripuraInfo, the doctor also referred to an earlier alleged cheque fraud involving around Rs 16 crore belonging to the Agartala Municipal Corporation while raising concerns about banking security. The earlier matter is separate from the latest complaint and does not by itself establish any connection between the two incidents.