Chandigarh: Lawyer searching for doctor’s info online loses ₹1 lakh

Sukhpreet was shocked to receive a text message on her mobile phone regarding withdrawal of ₹1 lakh from her Punjab National Bank account, even when she never shared any OTP with the caller

A female advocate at the Punjab and Haryana high court looking for a doctor’s information online was duped of ₹1 lakh by cyber criminals.

In her police complaint, the victim, Sukhpreet Kaur of Chandigarh, stated that on May 16, she opened Google to search for the phone number of Dr Mamta in Sector 38, Chandigarh. (Getty images)

In her police complaint, the victim, Sukhpreet Kaur of Chandigarh, stated that on May 16, she opened Google to search for the phone number of Dr Mamta in Sector 38, Chandigarh.

“I got her contact information from a page of JustDial and called the phone number, but the calls went unanswered. After a few minutes, I received a call from someone claiming to be the doctor’s receptionist. He asked me to get an appointment fixed by paying ₹5 through online payment, for which he sent a link via WhatsApp,” the complainant submitted.

The next day, Sukhpreet was shocked to receive a text message on her mobile phone regarding withdrawal of ₹1 lakh from her Punjab National Bank account, even when she never shared any OTP with the caller.

“Since I was in Chandigarh and my bank account is in the Nawanshahr branch, my brother met the bank manager, Sanjeev Kumar. My brother, who is a beneficiary of my account, requested the manager to block the transaction, but he turned down the request, stating that the account holder needs to visit the branch herself and raise the issue,” Kaur said in her complaint.