In a shocking incident, on Monday around 70 people alleged fraudulent ATM withdrawals by account holders from the Juhu Tara Road branch of the Union Bank of India.
According to Mid-Day, a majority of the victims got ATM withdrawal alerts between midnight and 6.15am. A sizeable crowd had gathered at the branch office, waiting for the shutters to open and their grievances to be addressed.
Regan Fernandes told the Mid-Day, "The first SMS came at around 6.30am, informing that R10,000 had been withdrawn and within minutes two more messages flashed that another Rs 15,000 has been debited. I immediately called the bank helpline number and got my card blocked."
Two other customers also lost Rs 50,000 each. Even and elderly woman named Parmadvi Prajapat, her son runs a sugarcane juice stall, across the road from the bank, lost Rs 3000. Over 70 unauthorised transactions were put record and the count is likely to rise, Jenifer Fernandes, Trustee of H West Residents Federation, told the Mid-Day.