A 23-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly using a 19-year-old engineering student’s bank account to conduct illegal transactions worth over Rs 7 crore, police said on Tuesday. The case came to light after the student, who is pursuing engineering at a reputed college in Bengaluru, filed a complaint at the North Division CEN (Cyber, Economic Offences, and Narcotics) Police Station.
According to police officials, the accused had been friends with the complainant for nearly a year. In November, he allegedly told the student that his own bank account had been blocked and that he was facing a financial crisis. He then requested the student to share his Karnataka Gramin Bank account details.
Trusting his friend, the student reportedly sent his bank passbook, ATM card, SIM card linked to the account, and net banking credentials via post. Police said the exchange was coordinated through WhatsApp messages.
The fraud came to light when bank officials contacted the student and informed him that his account had been flagged for suspicious transactions amounting to approximately Rs 7 crore. He was also warned that the account would be blocked due to its suspected involvement in cybercrime.
Shocked by the revelation, the student approached the police and filed a complaint, stating that his friend and others had misused his bank account without his knowledge.
Based on the complaint, North Division CEN police registered a case and arrested the accused. During the investigation, officials discovered that the accused had allegedly obtained bank account details from multiple individuals and shared them with cyber fraudsters.
Police said the accused was in contact with unidentified persons through the Telegram messaging platform and acted as an intermediary, collecting bank details from unsuspecting individuals and passing them on for illegal financial transactions.
Further investigation is underway to identify other suspects involved in the cyber fraud network, police added.
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