Following a complaint by an Andheri-based private bank, the police conducted raids on a Nallasopara residential address and seized 89 account opening welcome kits.
The bank had complained that at least 150 accounts were opened with them online since June this year using documents such as Aadhar cards, PAN cards and mobile numbers of people who have actually not opened accounts with the said bank.
The bank had also informed the police that the welcome kits and debit cards of these accounts were received at one particular address in Nallasopara. Bank authorities suspect that these kits and debit cards were possibly procured to be used for illegal or fraudulent activities. The complainant in the case is the assistant manager of the bank.
Due to the lockdown, new accounts were being opened through the online mode. The verification process was also being done online, the complainant stated in his FIR.
A police officer said when bank officials made inquiries with some of the customers whose documents were used to open the accounts, they found that they had not opened physical accounts. The bank then contacted their courier partner who informed that all the welcome kits were received by one NP Singh at Nallasopara.
The police were alerted on October 7. A crime branch team and bank officials along with panch witnesses visited Singh’s residence the same day. During enquiry, Singh told the police that he had accepted 89 welcome kits. He also confessed that on two prior occasions, he had sent 70 to 80 kits to a person known as Rahul in Jaipur.
A police officer said that it appears to be a racket wherein the Aadhar card, PAN card, mobile numbers of common people were illegally used to open bank accounts to carry out fraudulent activities. A case has been registered under sections 34 (common intention), 419 (punishment for cheating by personation) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 66C (punishment for identity theft) and 66D (punishment for cheating by personation by using computer resource) of the Information Technology Act.
