Simdega, Jharkhand: In a major case of cyber fraud in Jharkhand, cybercriminals have siphoned off a staggering ₹93,63,191 from two government-linked accounts – Simdega College and the National Livelihood Mission – by cloning cheques. The fraud was carried out through 17 forged cheques between April 25 and May 2, with funds illicitly withdrawn from the Bank of India, Simdega branch.
Out of the total, ₹31.65 lakh was fraudulently withdrawn from Simdega College’s A1 account, which requires authorization solely from the Registrar or Finance Officer. Shockingly, all original cheques remain unused and are still in possession of the college.
In another incident, ₹61.97 lakh was stolen from the Lachdagarh branch of Bank of India, from an account operated by the National Livelihood Mission. The cheques used were from a series (99801 to 99825) that were reportedly never delivered to the Livelihood Mission.
Cyber experts and SDPO Baiju Uraon are leading the investigation. FIRs are being lodged by both bank branches, and initial findings point to sophisticated cheque cloning and coordination between the incidents.
The case has raised serious concerns about banking security, postal handling of sensitive documents, and the growing menace of cyber-enabled financial fraud in government institutions.
