Banking glitch or scam: UCO Bank customers get surprise credit of Rs 820 cr; CBI files FIR

PTI, Dec 5, 2023, 7:49 PM IST

The CBI has registered an FIR in a case in which over 41,000 UCO Bank customers received surprise credits of varied amounts in their accounts, totalling Rs 820 crore, during November 10-13 without any corresponding debits in accounts from where the transfers originated, officials said on Tuesday. Under an operation, which continued till Tuesday, the agency has searched 13 locations in multiple cities, including Kolkata and Mangalore, in connection with the case, they said. The money landed in accounts of UCO Bank customers through 8.53 lakh Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) transactions originating from 14,000 account holders of private banks in three days, the officials said.

Surprisingly, no corresponding amount was debited from the originating bank accounts, they said. Several account holders withdrew the surprise credits from their accounts, the officials said.

The countrywide transactions resulted in a CBI FIR after UCO Bank approached the central probe agency with a complaint against two support engineers working with it and other unknown persons on allegations of ”suspicious” IMPS transactions amounting to approximately Rs 820 crore, they said.

”During the searches, electronic evidence, including mobile-phones, laptops, computer systems, email archives, and debit or credit cards were recovered,” the spokesperson of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said. Between November 10 and November 13, IMPS inward transactions from 14,000 account holders across seven private banks were directed to 41,000 UCO Bank account holders, he said.

”It was further alleged that this intricate network involved a staggering 8,53,049 transactions, and these transactions were mistakenly posted in UCO Bank account-holders records, despite the originating banks registering failed transactions,” the spokesperson said.

He said it was also alleged that several account holders exploited this situation, illicitly withdrawing funds from UCO Bank through various banking channels, thereby benefiting wrongfully from the transaction.