₹70.85 lakh cyber fraud trail: Woman booked for misusing friend’s bank account in Bengaluru

Cyber Crime Police register case after funds allegedly routed through victim’s account using stolen banking credentials and false promises.

The Cyber Crime Police in Bengaluru have registered a case against a woman for allegedly misusing the current bank account of her husband’s close friend to illegally route funds amounting to ₹70.85 lakh, suspected to be proceeds of cyber fraud.

According to the complaint, the victim had known a man named Vijay for nearly 15 years. During this long-standing association, Vijay introduced his wife, Prathima Kumar, to the complainant. Over time, trust developed between them, which was allegedly misused for financial fraud.

Police said that in December 2025, the accused contacted the complainant through WhatsApp and sought access to his current bank account. She reportedly claimed that she needed the account details to manage transactions related to foreign travel, trekking trips, and other adventure events. She also assured the victim that she would bear all GST and tax liabilities arising from the transactions.

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Believing her explanation, the complainant allegedly shared net banking credentials, including the user ID, password, and the mobile number linked to the account.
Subsequently, the accused is said to have changed the registered mobile number, effectively gaining exclusive control over the account. On February 3, she allegedly routed ₹70,85,137 through multiple transactions. Investigators suspect that this money was linked to cyber fraud activities and was deliberately passed through the complainant’s account to avoid detection.

The scam came to light when officials from the cyber crime wing, acting on alerts generated through the national online cybercrime reporting portal, visited the complainant’s residence for verification. During questioning, the victim realised that his account had been misused without his consent for illegal transactions.

Based on the complaint, a formal case has been registered, and an investigation is underway to trace the complete money trail and identify any possible accomplices.

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The accused has been booked under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, which deal with identity theft and cheating by personation using computer resources. Additionally, sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, have been invoked.