In a concerning incident, Bengaluru police are on the lookout for an individual who, under the guise of assisting an autorickshaw driver, convinced him to open a savings account for government funding. The unsuspecting driver, a resident of Kamala Nagar, later discovered that the account was exploited for online fraud.
The revelation came to light as authorities delved into a cybercrime investigation, identifying the autorickshaw driver as a beneficiary of one of the fraudulent accounts. The driver, shocked by the discovery, promptly informed the police, clarifying that he had no knowledge of the illicit transactions occurring in his account.
The auto driver explained that in November 2023, a supposed acquaintance introduced him to the accused. Posing as having connections within the State Government, the fraudster misled the driver into believing that opening a savings account was a mandatory step to avail an autorickshaw at a government-subsidized rate.
Trusting the accused, the driver handed over crucial documents, including his passbook, cheque book, and ATM card, after successfully opening an account in a private bank. However, while awaiting the Karnataka government’s response for the subsidy, the auto driver remained oblivious to the unauthorized transactions amounting to ₹34 lakh over three months.
Authorities suspect the accused to be part of a larger network specializing in providing bank accounts for online fraud. Intensive efforts are underway to locate and apprehend the fraudster.
