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Kolkata ATM fraud: Guards at outsourced outlets mandatory, say authorities
Kolkata, Aug 6 (IANS) In the wake of an ATM fraud in the city that may have compromised debit/credit cards data of more than 600 bank customers, the West Bengal Consumer Affairs Department on Monday made deployment of guards mandatory at all outsourced ATM outlets.
State Consumer Affairs Minister Sadhan Pande warned that banks would be penalised if any of their outsourced ATMs are found unguarded.
“It has been decided that all the outsourced Automated Teller Machines’ outlets ought to have guards. As for the State Bank of India, they have guards in all their ATM outlets in the city. I have also asked other banks to post guards in their respective outlets,” Pande said after holding a meeting with the representatives of the RBI and the city bank officials.
“Me and my department officials will inspect the ATMs at regular intervals. If any of the outsourced ATM outlets are found unguarded, the respective bank will be penalised,” he added.
The ATM fraud was allegedly committed by using skimming machines at unmanned ATM counters to clone users’ card details and later fraudulently withdraw money from those accounts. Two Romanian nationals have been held at Delhi in the case.
Police on Monday said that according to their statements, one Colonel Mire in Romania might be the fraud kingpin.
Meanwhile, a locally-made skimming machine was seized from an ATM outlet of a private bank in south Kolkata’s Kasba area on Sunday, police said.
“The unmanned ATM in Kasba’s Bakultala belongs to IndusInd Bank. It was found that the data skimming machine installed at the ATM was locally-made. Police is going to issue a lookout notice against two youths in the case,” a senior officer of Kolkata Police said.
According to police, fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 18-20 lakh had been reported but the numbers might go up as card details of over 600 accounts in three banks are feared to have been compromised.
The affected accounts mostly belonged to Canara Bank and Punjab National Bank while some cases of fraudulent withdrawals were reported by the customers of Kotak Mahindra Bank and Union Bank of India in the city, Police had said.
–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.