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Retired manager of UP Cooperative Bank under lens for online attempt to siphon off ₹146 cr
Following the two consecutive breach attempts, bank officials got an FIR lodged against unidentified people with the cybercrime cell of UP Police on Sunday.
LUCKNOW: The role of a retired manager of the Uttar Pradesh Cooperative Bank (UPCB) has come under the scanner in the ongoing investigation into the failed online attempt to withdraw ₹146 crore from the official account of the bank.
The suspect along with an aide was taken into custody for interrogation on Tuesday. Besides, 10 staffers have been suspended by the bank for lapses. “Former bank manager RS Dubey and his aide Ganga Sagar Chauhan are being quizzed about the incident,” said Triveni Singh, SP, UP Cyber Crime Cell.
According to VK Mishra, general manager of UPCB, unidentified accused breached the online security system of the bank and siphoned off ₹72 crore from the official account of the bank on Saturday. However, the withdrawal was timely detected by bank officials and the money was saved by freezing the account. Another attempt to siphon off ₹74 crore from the same bank account was also prevented before the hackers could complete the second transaction. “The bank money is safe. The accused were not able to extract even a paisa,” said Mishra.
Following the two consecutive breach attempts, bank officials got an FIR lodged against unidentified people with the cybercrime cell of UP Police on Sunday.
Speaking about the day of the cyber-attack, Mishra said, “It has come to our knowledge that the retired bank manager along with his aide visited the building of the bank’s head office in Hazratganj around 8.30 am on Saturday, the day when the online breach attempt was made. They were chased away by security guard Shailendra Kumar after he found them carrying out some suspicious activity. It’s worth mentioning that no bank employees were present on the day.”
When queried about the incident, guard Shailendra Kumar said, “The retired manager and his accomplice entered the building saying that they were going to the bank guest house, which is located on the ninth floor of the building. However, I noticed that the lift stopped on the eighth floor where the server room of the bank is situated. Subsequently, I notified two housekeeping women staffers working there. They told me over the phone that the two men were carrying out some suspicious activity on a laptop. So, I immediately went up and asked them to leave the building.”
On Tuesday, a team from the UP Police cyber-crime cell visited the bank’s head office in Hazratganj and collected details related to the security breach to investigate the case further. N Kolanachi, DIG, cyber-crime cell, said, “What’s most surprising is that the criminals were aware of the password of the bank’s account. Our team is trying to confirm whether the system was hacked or the password was compromised. As the probe progresses, things will get clearer within 2-3 days.”
