In a major cybercrime breakthrough, Chandigarh’s cyber police arrested three individuals, including two bank employees, for orchestrating a SIM swap scam that drained Rs25.54 lakh from a 65-year-old man’s bank account.
The accused have been identified as:
Balwinder alias Bindu (33) – resident of Rajasthan
Anup Kumar (31) – contract employee at SBI
Pardeep Kumar (31) – clerk at PNB, Sirsa
The victim, Balwant, a resident of Ramdarbar, discovered the fraud when he visited PNB, Sector 26, on April 21 to withdraw Rs5,000. To his shock, his account balance had dropped below Rs1 lakh. Bank officials confirmed that between March and April, over Rs25 lakh was siphoned off via UPI, IMPS, and RTGS transfers.
Balwant, who uses a basic mobile phone with no access to internet banking or apps, denied making any such transactions. Investigation revealed that his mobile number had been deactivated due to inactivity and was later reissued to Balwinder.
Balwinder used the reissued number to receive bank OTPs and alerts, enabling him to activate net banking on the victim’s account. He then collaborated with Anup Kumar, who helped set up the digital access. Anup obtained the victim’s ATM card details from Pardeep Kumar, facilitating the fraudulent transfers.
