TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee duped of Rs 55 lakh after fraudsters hack old SBI account

Kolkata: Senior Trinamool Congress leader and four-time Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee has allegedly fallen victim to a major case of cyber fraud, losing over ₹55 lakh after criminals reportedly accessed his dormant State Bank of India (SBI) account using fake documents.

According to the complaint filed by the SBI High Court Branch in Kolkata, cybercriminals managed to reactivate Banerjee’s old, inactive account by submitting forged PAN and Aadhaar cards, with a different photo superimposed on seemingly genuine documents. Using these fake details, they allegedly updated the KYC information linked to the account.

On 28 October 2025, the impersonator also changed the registered mobile number, gaining full control over the account. Once this was done, a number of unauthorised online banking transactions were carried out, resulting in a total loss of ₹56,39,767.

Where did the money go?

The stolen money was reportedly transferred to several beneficiary accounts, used for jewellery purchases, and also withdrawn through ATMs.

Officials revealed that the account had not been used for years. It had originally been opened during Banerjee’s tenure as a Trinamool Congress legislator from Asansol (Dakshin) between 2001 and 2006, when his West Bengal MLA salary was deposited there. The account had remained dormant ever since, until it was recently reactivated through fraudulent means.

When did Banerjee discover the fraud?

Banerjee reportedly came to know about the fraud after learning that ₹55 lakh had first been transferred from his personal SBI account at the Kalighat branch into the dormant one, before being siphoned off through a series of online transfers.

Once the irregularities were found, Banerjee immediately alerted SBI officials, who lodged a cybercrime complaint and started an internal review to check if there were any lapses in procedure.

The bank later confirmed that it would share all supporting documents, KYC files, and transaction records with the authorities to assist in tracking the culprits and tracing the money trail.

What do the police say?

A senior officer of the Kolkata Police Cyber Crime Division stated that an investigation was underway.

“The entire matter is being investigated thoroughly. We are examining the bank’s internal processes and contacting officials to determine how the account was accessed. Efforts are being made to track the fraudsters and the destination of the funds,” the officer said.

Another senior Trinamool leader close to Banerjee added that the MP remains “hopeful that the police will crack the case soon and help him recover the lost amount.”

How did the fraudsters pull it off?

According to the police, the criminals used Banerjee’s photograph along with a new mobile number to complete the fake KYC process, a method of impersonation that appears to be both advanced and worrying.

Authorities said the case has raised fresh concerns about loopholes in digital banking verification systems and the security of dormant accounts.