Two cyber criminals in police net for siphoning off Rs 99,999 in Chaibasa

• West Singhbhum police arrest two cybercriminals Pradeep Mondal and Mohammed Azmal Ansari
• Victim revealed ATM PIN and account details to unknown criminals impersonating bank officials
• Tausif Ansari who is a resident of Hazaribagh and is still absconding

More than five years after a case of theft of bank balance was registered, the West Singhbhum police managed to solve the case by arresting two cybercriminals on Monday. The arrested have been identified as Pradeep Mondal and Mohammed Azmal Ansari, both residents of Jamtara and Deoghar districts.

According to the police, in September 2017, a woman, Pinki Honhaga, lodged an FIR with the Chaibasa Mufassil thana alleging that unknown criminals had fraudulently withdrawn Rs 99,999 from her Punjab National Bank account.

Unknown criminals called the victim's cell phone and asked for her secret ATM PIN code along with her bank account number. Pinki revealed both the secret PIN code and her account number as the caller claimed to be an official of the said bank.

But a day after that, Pinki found that Rs 99,999 had been deducted without her knowledge. Later, when she realized that she had been duped by cybercriminals, she lodged an FIR.

At this time, the police were investigating the case and through the technical cell of the district police, the police managed to solve the case. Police found that the cyber fraud was committed by Pradeep Mondal, Azmal Ansari and one Tausif Ansari.

When the three were on the run, the police followed them and eventually managed to arrest Azmal Ansari and Pradeep Mondal from their houses in Deoghar and Jamtara.

Tausif Ansari who is a resident of Hazaribagh and is still absconding.