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Kolkata SIT to probe large scale bank fraud (Lead)
Kolkata, Aug 1 (IANS) Kolkata Police on Wednesday formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe large-scale bank fraud in the city, saying it has received 76 complaints of fraudulent withdrawals amounting to Rs. 18-20 lakh.
Police said they have identified two ATM counters of Canara Bank and Punjab National Bank (PNB) in the city where the fraudsters allegedly installed “scheming devices” to clone people’s card details and withdraw the money from other ATMs later.
“We have received complaints of 76 fraudulent withdrawals from Kolkata’s Gariahat, Bhawanipore and Park street area since in last one week. The amount of total fraudulent withdrawal is around Rs. 18-20 lakh,” Joint Commissioner of Kolkata Police Praveen Tripathi said.
“A SIT led by Santosh Pandey, Deputy Commissioner of Cyber Crime Department, has been formed to probe the ATM fraud. All the local police stations and DCs concerned have been alerted and sensitised about it so that the fraudsters can be caught quickly,” he said.
The officer hinted at an inter-state racket, saying the withdrawals were done from certain ATMs in Delhi’s Hauz Khas and Connaught Place area and said they have already contacted Delhi Police.
“According to primary investigation, the fraudulent withdrawals were done by cloning the ATM cards and capturing the card details. Two ATMs have been identified in South Kolkata’s Golpark and central Kolkata’s Mullick Bazar which belongs to the Canara Bank and the Punjub National Bank respectively,” Tripathi said.
The officer confirmed that both the ATM outlets were unguarded.
“The affected bank account holders are primarily from those two banks. Apart from this, we have received complaints from some customers of Kotak Mahindra Bank and Union Bank of India,” he pointed out.
Appealing to citizens not to panic, the police said they have already held a meeting with the bank authorities in Kolkata who ensured that cheated customers will be refunded within seven to 10 days after producing a copy of the FIR and a written application.
The officer also said that they have advised the bank authorities to deploy guards in all the ATMs outlets in the city and take additional preventive measures such as installing anti-scheming devices to stop such frauds.
“Kolkata Police would upload the pictures and descriptions of the scheming devices on their social media page and highlight the necessary security measures while using an ATM for knowledge of general people”, he said.
The bank fraud came to light earlier this week after several people approached the city police with complaints that amounts ranging from Rs 4,000 to Rs 40,000 have been debited from their bank accounts, fuelling suspicion that they had fallen victim to skimming devices planted on some ATM machines in the city.
Canara Bank, which is one of the banks largely hit by the fraud, said they have identified around 37 customers from a particular south Kolkata branch and said that the bank is taking necessary steps to refund the affected customers’ money within a week.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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