- By Shubham Bajpai
- Fri, 07 Nov 2025 03:30 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
In a surprising incident, Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee lost Rs 55 lakh after his dormant State Bank of India (SBI) account was accessed by cyber fraudsters using forged documents.
The Calcutta High Court Branch of the SBI has lodged a formal complaint with the Cyber Crime Police Station for an urgent investigation.
According to the complaint lodged by the bank, the fraudsters used Banerjee's forged PAN and Aadhaar card.
Unlike other cyber scams, the fraudsters orchestrated a detailed plan by activating his dormant account with a forged document to gain access.
They allegedly superimposed a different photograph on his likely original documents and used them to update the KYC details.
The accused also changed his registered mobile number on October 25, 2025, which granted them full access.
As the account came under the direct control of the scammers after this, they initiated a string of unauthorised internet banking transactions and siphoned off Rs 56,39,767.
The funds were transferred to multiple accounts, which were then used for jewellery purchasing and ATM withdrawals.
The account was opened when the TMC leader was a TMC legislator from Asansol (Dakshin) between 2001 and 2006. Back then, his salary as a West Bengal MLA was credited into this account. Over the years, he stopped using it, and the account became dormant.
How was the fraud discovered?
The fraud came to light when Banerjee came to know about an amount of Rs 55 lakh first transferred from his personal account at SBI’s Kalighat branch into the aforementioned dormant account, before being siphoned off.
Banerjee alerted SBI officials after Rs 55 lakh transactions, and the bank, resultantly, initiated a cybercrime complaint and started internal checks to determine whether any procedural lapses occurred within the bank.
According to news agency IANS, the probe was underway. The news agency quoted a senior Kolkata Cyber Crime Division officer saying, "The entire matter is being investigated thoroughly. We are examining the bank’s internal processes and contacting officials to determine how the account was accessed. Efforts are being made to track the fraudsters and the destination of the funds."