A 27-year-old man has alleged that cybercriminals siphoned off nearly ₹7.2 lakh from his bank accounts after fraudulently transferring his mobile number to another telecom network and gaining access to his banking credentials.

The victim, Kamlesh Kumar, a resident of BTM Layout II Stage and originally from Bihar, has accused fraudsters of carrying out a SIM-swap scam that allowed them to take control of his linked banking services.

Mobile number allegedly ported without consent

According to the complaint, Kumar had been using the same mobile number for nearly a decade when it suddenly stopped working on May 25.

When he approached an Airtel outlet the following day, he was allegedly informed that the number had already been ported to the Jio network. Kumar claimed the transfer was carried out without his knowledge or authorisation.

Further enquiries reportedly revealed that the SIM card had been registered in the name of another individual. Kumar told investigators that he had no connection with the person and was unaware of how the transfer had taken place.

Fraudsters access bank accounts

After discovering the issue, Kumar filed a complaint with the police. However, the alleged fraud continued over the next few days.

Investigators said cybercriminals gained access to multiple bank accounts linked to the mobile number and carried out unauthorised transactions between May 27 and May 29.

According to the complaint, funds were transferred from an overdraft account into savings and current accounts before being moved to unidentified accounts.

Kumar alleged that a total of ₹7,17,660 was withdrawn during the operation. He also claimed that the email address linked to his banking accounts was changed without his permission, enabling the fraudsters to gain greater control over account communications.

Cybercrime police begin investigation

The Southeast Cybercrime Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the alleged fraud.

Officials are examining how the mobile number was transferred and tracing the accounts that received the stolen funds.