In a perplexing case of cyber fraud, Kamlesh Kumar, a resident of a village under the Jhajha police station area in Bihar’s Jamui district, has reportedly been robbed of Rs 3.43 lakh from his bank account, despite initially having no balance. The victim, who works as a driver in Bardhaman, West Bengal, discovered the fraudulent transaction only after logging into his bank account in September.

The incident unfolded on August 5, when Kumar’s mobile phone was stolen by two to three miscreants while he was traveling on the Raxaul-Howrah Mithila Express. The theft occurred as the train reached Jhajha railway station. After the robbery, Kumar immediately reported the incident to the Government Railway Police (GRP) at Jhajha and blocked his SIM card to prevent unauthorized access.

However, despite these efforts, the cybercriminals managed to gain access to his bank account, which was linked to the stolen phone number and his Aadhaar card. Kumar only became aware of the fraud after purchasing a new phone and checking his bank statement in September. To his shock, he discovered that Rs 3,43,803 had been withdrawn from his account, with the first transaction of just Rs 1 made as a precursor to the larger theft.

Kumar holds an account at the State Bank of India’s Jhajha branch. The fraudulent transactions were carried out by September 4. The criminals appear to have used sophisticated methods to avoid detection, leaving Kumar puzzled, as he had no significant funds in the account prior to the theft.

Sanjay Kumar, Station House Officer (SHO) of Jhajha police station, confirmed the case and stated that an investigation is underway. He added that cybercriminals often exploit innocent people’s accounts to carry out illegal transactions, making it difficult for law enforcement to trace them.