Man held for committing fraud after opening 35 accounts in bank arrested

PTI, November 21, 2024, Mumbai:  The Mumbai police have arrested a man for allegedly committing a fraud through one of the 35 accounts he opened in a single branch of a bank here, officials said on Thursday.

The crime came to light at the Kurla branch of the Punjab National Bank (PNB), a police official said, adding that the accused, identified as Amir Feroz Maniyar, is a resident of Karjat in Raigad district.

"Maniyar used to frequently visit the bank with different people and sit there idly. Once, the bank manager asked him why he always comes there with different people. He said he helps others to open bank accounts. He also said that he runs an import-export business and has helped 10 of his relatives to open accounts in the bank," he said.

The manager then asked him to provide the details of such accounts in writing, which he did. On Tuesday, this bank received an email stating that five of its accounts were found involved in cyber frauds and one of them was opened by Maniyar, he said.

"The bank authorities then asked Maniyar to visit the branch. When he came there the next day, he was confronted over the cyber fraud being done from the account, he failed to give a satisfactory answer. After that, the bank manager informed the police and Maniyar was arrested," he said.

During the probe, the police found that Maniyar had opened as many as 35 accounts at the bank. They suspect it to be a big racket, the official said, adding that further investigation is underway.