Ludhiana: NRI defrauded of ₹28 lakh, driver arrested

₹13.58 lakh have been recovered. The accused is believed to have learnt fraud tricks online, say police. The accused swapped victim’s SIM card with a duplicate one before committing the crime.

A city resident defrauded an NRI of ₹28 lakh after learning cyber fraud techniques YouTube, an online platform, between May and October, the police said on Tuesday. Identified as 41-year-old Palwinder Singh, the accused has been arrested by the cybercrime police. The accused admitted his crime, the police said.

The victim NRI had employed the accused as his driver.

Victim Iqbal Singh Sandhu, a Canadian citizen from Ludhiana’s Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar, discovered the fraud during his visit to India on November 11. Between May 12 and October 31, a total of ₹28 lakh had been siphoned from three of his bank accounts without his knowledge.

According to the police, Palwinder Singh had been Iqbal’s driver during his visits to Ludhiana. In addition to chauffeuring for Sandhu, he also worked as a taxi driver. Investigations revealed that Palwinder thoroughly planned the fraud after watching videos online that explained methods to access and transfer money from others’ bank accounts.

Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Jaskiranjit Singh Teja said that on May 11, Palwinder drove Iqbal to the Amritsar airport for his flight to Canada. During their brief stay at an eatery for tea, Palwinder discreetly swapped Iqbal’s SIM card with a duplicate one. Iqbal, unaware of the swap, replaced his Indian SIM with an international one after boarding his flight.

With access to Iqbal’s phone number and already knowing his email’s password, Palwinder applied his newly acquired skills. He requested new debit cards linked to Iqbal’s accounts and used the UPI platform to carry out numerous transactions. He made payments at fuel stations and collected cash in return. He conducted various transactions via UPI.

The DCP added that on November 13, Iqbal Singh filed a complaint with the cybercrime police, reporting unauthorised withdrawals. A detailed investigation led the police to Palwinder, who confessed to the crime during questioning.

The police recovered ₹13.58 lakh, along with several passbooks, cheque books and debit cards. “This case highlights how easily fraudsters can misuse information learned from online platforms,” said the DCP.

“Palwinder Singh’s reliance on YouTube for acquiring fraudulent skills has raised concerns over the unregulated availability of such content. The police are urging citizens to be cautious about safeguarding sensitive information, such as email passwords and SIM cards, to prevent similar incidents,” he added.

The accused is in police custody as further investigations continue.