CHENNAI: In what can be seen as a different type of bank fraud that kept the cops on their toes, the Neelankarai police on Thursday morning arrested R Suresh Kumar (45), a resident of Injambakkam, for being involved in bank frauds for the past four years. The police had found the case quite difficult as no victim came forward to lodge a complaint.
“Two days ago, we received a complaint from one Chithra that a cheque she dropped at the drop box in Union Bank in Neelankarai was debited from her account but not credited to her Indian Overseas Bank,” said Inspector K Nataraj of Neelankarai police station who investigated the case. “Since Chithra’s `1.40 lakh was not encashed even after 10 days, she went looking for the cheque when she was told that no cheque existed in her name. The bank officials, who failed to take serious note of the case, told her that she might have misplaced the cheque. Suspecting foul play, she lodged a complaint with the Neelankarai police. We have already received many oral complaints from some bank managers that someone is misusing the cheques in the drop box.”
The police team scanned the CCTV footage and found a man picking up the cheque from the bank. A closer view revealed that the man was a previous offender involved in a similar case in 2014. Police nabbed him at his house in Injambakkam on Thursday morning.
Explaining his modus operandi, the police officer told Express, “He would closely watch a customer filling in a cheque in a bank. After the customer left the place dropping the cheque in the box, he would meet the bank manager, claiming that there was some mistake in the cheque and it should be withdrawn immediately. He would reveal the cheque-bearer’s name and the amount correctly. The bank staff, who believed his version, would give him the correct cheque. He used the cheque in a different branch.”
Suresh Kumar, who is married, spent most of the money in online rummy game. He had looted more than `60 lakh, but the police were able to recover only `85,000.
Previous offence comes to light
The police team scanned the CCTV footage and found a man picking up the cheque from the bank. A closer view revealed that the man was a previous offender involved in a similar case in 2014. Police nabbed him at his house in Injambakkam