Barnala residents duped of Rs 31 lakh in debit card fraud

Parvesh Sharma

Tribune New Service

Barnala, August 14

On the complaint of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the police have registered a case against two persons for allegedly misusing debit card details of several persons for making online payments of electricity bills. Preliminary investigations have detected a fraud of Rs 31.21 lakh.

Gurvir Singh, SHO, Barnala city, said: “Naresh of Mansa used to offer his services to residents to pay their electricity bills online in lieu of cash. So far, we have detected that he had paid bills worth Rs 31.21 lakh through fraudulent transfers from various bank accounts. We are conducting raids to arrest him.”

The police have registered a case against Naresh, Soni and some unidentified persons under Sections 419, 420, 120-B IPC and 66(C), 68(D) of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

The SHO said: “The NPCI, which keeps a watch over online payments through various apps, has alleged in its complaint that it had found the misuse of 171 debit cards and all fraudulent transactions were done in Barnala district to deposit power bills of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL).”

He said during the investigation, it had come to light that two local shopkeepers, who used to deposit electricity bills online from their bank accounts, were approached by Naresh last year. Naresh offered them commission if they outsourced the work to him. “We are conducting investigations to ascertain the role of both the shopkeepers and the amount of commission Naresh offered to them,” said Gurvir Singh.

Meanwhile, the incident has caused panic among people who have been using their debit cards for online payments and purchases in the city.

Kulwinder Singh, a local resident, said: “While the government is promoting cashless transactions like anything, it has failed to make the system foolproof.”

Barnala SSP Harjeet Singh said he had directed the SHO to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter. “We need to know about the modus operandi and the extent of fraud, which is possible after Naresh’s arrest. Our teams are conducting raids to nab him. We are also trying to reach out to the victims whose debit cards were misused. It appears to be a big scam,” he said.

Modus operandi

• Naresh of Mansa used to offer his services to residents to pay their electricity bills online in lieu of cash.
• He allegedly misused details of 171 debit cards and paid bills worth Rs 31.21 lakh.
• The police have registered a case against Naresh, Soni and some unidentified persons. 
• The matter came to light after the NPCI found the misuse of debit cards to pay power bills in the PSPCL’s account.