Hi-tech cheat dupes MNC banks to the tune of Rs 64 lakhs

Bangalore, Aug 7 (UNI) Using technology to a nicety, a 27-year-old woman who had cheated multinational banks to the tune of Rs 64 lakh is cooling her heels behind the bars.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Range) B N S Reddy told newspersons here today that the modus operandi of Hemalatha, who runs a paying guest accommodation for ladies, used to collect the photographs of the girls who used to come to stay at her paying guest house for security reasons.

Using these photographs, she used to produce fake appointment letters of IT major Wipro using computers. Later she managed to get original driving licenses, PAN cards and visiting cards printed in the name of the girls who had left her home by that time.

Producing the original documents she used to open accounts in multinational banks like ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank and apply for personal loans in the name of the girls.

The DCP said Hemalatha had used the outsourcing firms hired by the banks to her advantage to open the accounts at her door step by handing over the documents saying that the applicant had gone to work and asked her to handover the documents. Similarly she also got personal loans sanctioned and deposited in the accounts and then withdrew the money using debit cards.

She used to pay the first three instalments and then default payment. After the banks initiated steps to find out about the whereabouts of the account holders the racket came to light, he added.

The arrested had an accomplice by name Suresh, who was at large, and the two together planned cash in on the loop holes in the outsourcing methods of the banks and duped them after a meticulous operation, Mr Reddy said.

"We are on the look out for Suresh and will find out in how many other places she had used the technique to dupe other banks," he added.

Computers, printers, scanners used to prepare fake appointment letters had been seized. The arrested had been remanded to police custody.

UNI