Senior Mumbai Police Officer Falls Victim To Suspected Mobile Banking Fraud, Cybercrime Probe Underway

Mumbai: In a case highlighting the growing threat of digital banking fraud, a 57-year-old senior Mumbai police inspector was allegedly duped of Rs 89,999 after three unauthorised transactions were carried out from his bank account. The fraud came to light after the officer received a series of text messages seeking confirmation for transactions he claimed he had never initiated.

The complainant, Dinesh Vasudev Sawant, a senior police inspector posted with the Local Arms Division 3 in Worli, has approached the police after the incident. Worli police have registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act against unidentified persons and the holders of the beneficiary bank accounts. Further investigation is underway.

Suspicious activity blocks payment service

According to the FIR, Sawant maintains a savings account with Axis Bank, which is linked to his Google Pay account. On September 29, when he opened Google Pay to transfer money to his son, he received a message stating that the service had been blocked due to suspicious activity. He then used the Axis Bank mobile application to transfer the money directly to his son's bank account.

Three unauthorised transactions detected

The suspected fraud surfaced on October 1 at around 8.45 pm, when Sawant was at his residence in Worli. He received a text message seeking confirmation for a Rs 40,000 transaction to a person identified as Krishna Dayal Jamatia. Sawant reportedly did not recognise the transaction and maintained that he had not initiated it.

While he was reading the message, two more similar messages arrived on his mobile phone. Soon afterwards, he received notifications indicating that the transactions had been confirmed, even though he had not authorised them.

Alarmed by the messages, Sawant immediately contacted Axis Bank's customer care service. Bank officials informed him that three transactions had been processed from his account, resulting in a total debit of Rs 89,999.

Bank credits disputed amount

After Sawant denied carrying out the transactions, the bank reportedly credited the disputed amount back to his account. However, he was informed that the money could not be used pending further investigation. Bank officials also told him that the bank's cyber team would examine the transactions and provide an update on the amount after 90 days.

Sawant was advised to register a complaint through the national cybercrime helpline, 1930, and submit his bank statement. However, when he attempted to access the statement through the mobile application, he found that the app had been blocked.

As the bank was closed on October 2, Sawant visited the branch the following day, obtained his bank statement and lodged a complaint through the cybercrime helpline.

Officer denies sharing banking details

In his complaint, Sawant stated that he had not downloaded any APK file or shared any personal or banking information with the suspected fraudsters. He subsequently emailed the bank, seeking an investigation into the unauthorised transactions and the restoration of the disputed amount.

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Police probe unauthorised account access

Police are now investigating how the transactions were processed without the officer's authorisation and whether remote access to his mobile banking application was obtained by the accused. The role of the beneficiary account holders is also being examined.

The case has raised concerns over the security of mobile banking applications, particularly when unauthorised transactions appear to be confirmed without the account holder's knowledge. Further investigation is underway.

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