Four-time Trinamool Congress (TMC) Lok Sabha member Kalyan Banerjee has reportedly lost around ₹55 lakh in an online financial fraud in West Bengal.
According to Banerjee, the former chief whip of the TMC in the Lok Sabha, the money was linked to an old State Bank of India (SBI) account where his salary had been deposited between 2001 and 2006, during his tenure as a Trinamool Congress legislator from Asansol (Dakshin) in the then undivided Burdwan district (now part of West Burdwan).
The account had remained dormant for years due to inactivity. Recently, Banerjee discovered that ₹55 lakh had first been transferred from his personal SBI account at the Kalighat branch to this dormant account and was then immediately withdrawn.
Upon realising the unauthorised transactions, Banerjee promptly contacted SBI authorities, who had already lodged a complaint with the Cybercrime Division of Kolkata Police. An investigation into the fraud is currently underway.
A senior police official said, “The entire matter is being investigated thoroughly. Bank officials are also being contacted. Attempts are being made to track the fraudsters. At the same time, the bank authorities are also investigating whether there was any lapse on their part as well.”
Preliminary findings suggest that the photograph and mobile number of the TMC MP were used in the forgery to gain access to his account.
Although Banerjee has not commented publicly on the incident, a senior Trinamool Congress leader close to him said he remains hopeful that the police will solve the case swiftly and recover the lost funds.
(With inputs from IANS)
