Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee Questions Cybersecurity After Rs 57 Lakh Fraud: "If I Can Be Duped, What About Common People?"

Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee has raised serious concerns about the escalating cyber fraud incidents across the country, following his own experience of being victimized.

On Saturday, Banerjee questioned the security measures in place for ordinary citizens when even elected officials like himself can become victims of sophisticated scams.

"If a person like me can fall under the trap of bank fraud, what will the common people face? Why is the Ministry of Finance not establishing an anti-cyber fraud unit?" Banerjee expressed to NDTV, discussing the recent cyber fraud where over Rs 57 lakh was fraudulently taken from his dormant account.

The Serampore MP from West Bengal explained that he had an inactive State Bank of India (SBI) account that he hadn't used for a considerable period. "The scammers used KYC details to commit the fraud. My photograph was manipulated, while my PAN and Aadhaar were misused. Through this dormant account, nearly Rs 57 lakh that I had earned as an MP was siphoned off," he detailed.

Banerjee noted that the bank identified suspicious transactions and subsequently filed a report with Kolkata Police's cybercrime division. "Following SBI's complaint, an investigation was launched. By Friday night, SBI had credited Rs 57 lakh back into my Parliament account, attributing the issue to some internal system fault," he added.

According to official sources, cybercriminals accessed one of Banerjee's old accounts at SBI's legislative assembly sub-branch and transferred funds through multiple unauthorized transactions.

The compromised account was reportedly established between 2001 and 2006 during Banerjee's tenure as Asansol South's MLA. Investigators have determined that forged identification documents, including PAN and Aadhaar cards, were utilized in executing this sophisticated fraud.

Senior Kolkata Police officials have been instructed to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the case, with further inquiries currently ongoing.