MP Kalyan Banerjee Recovers Rs 57 Lakh After Bank Fraud

Fraudulent Transaction Reversed

Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee confirmed that the Rs 57 lakh allegedly siphoned from his dormant account at a nationalised bank has been credited back. The account, linked to his tenure as a West Bengal MLA, had recently fallen victim to a sophisticated financial fraud. The bank authorities have yet to comment publicly on the matter.

Investigation Underway

Despite the recovery of the funds, the fraudsters remain at large. Police investigations, initiated after a formal complaint from the bank to the cybercrime division of Kolkata Police, are ongoing. No arrests have been made so far, according to officials involved in the probe.

Details of the Fraud

Banerjee explained that the fraudulent activity involved sophisticated identity manipulation. “They superimposed my photograph and used fake Aadhaar and PAN cards to carry out the crime,” he stated. Additionally, the criminals added a new phone number to the account, redirecting all OTPs and transaction notifications to themselves.

Sequence of the Scam

According to Banerjee, the miscreants first transferred Rs 57 lakh from his active account into the dormant account before siphoning the funds through multiple fraudulent transactions. He expressed concern about the vulnerability of ordinary citizens, asking, “If this can happen to an MP, what will be the condition of a common man?”

Police Efforts to Catch the Culprits

A senior Kolkata Police officer said the investigation is ongoing, with authorities scrutinising the phone number linked to the fraud and reviewing CCTV footage for leads. The police are meticulously tracing all transaction records in an effort to apprehend the criminals.

Banerjee’s Response

While relieved that the bank restored the stolen amount, Banerjee emphasized that the primary concern remains bringing the perpetrators to justice. “The bank authorities have now credited the amount to my account. But my concern is that the culprits are yet to be nabbed,” he said.

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Sorit Chaudhary

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