In Kerala, a retired college principal's account was defrauded of ₹3.73 lakh after he shared an OTP. The Kerala High Court has now ordered SBI to return the money.

Retired principal duped of Rs 3.73 lakh, SBI to return it on High Court order.

Cyber ​​criminals are using various tactics to lure people into their traps. Sometimes they threaten to close their bank accounts, or sometimes they ask for personal information in the name of activating a debit card. In one such case, ₹3.73 lakh was withdrawn from the account of a retired college principal in Kerala.

In this case, the Kerala High Court has now ordered the State Bank of India (SBI) to refund the amount. The court ruled that the bank failed to prove the woman's negligence, and therefore must compensate her for the loss. Let's explore the entire matter.

What is the whole matter?

Actually, this incident dates back to 2019. On July 13, 2019, the woman received a message informing her that her debit card had been blocked and could be reactivated online. Shortly thereafter, she received a call from the same number. The caller claimed to be a bank employee and asked for her OTP to reactivate her card. The woman shared the OTP, and shortly thereafter, approximately ₹3.73 lakh was withdrawn from her account.

The woman complained as soon as the money was deducted.

Immediately after the money was deducted from her account, the woman contacted the bank's customer service. The bank subsequently blocked her internet banking account. However, she filed a complaint with the bank and the police the same day. A few months later, a police investigation revealed that a man from West Bengal had used her information to withdraw the money.

Despite this, the woman did not receive her money back, after which she filed a complaint with the Banking Ombudsman. However, after receiving no relief from the Ombudsman, she approached the Kerala High Court.

Why did the High Court order SBI to return the money?

During the hearing, the Kerala High Court found that the woman had filed a complaint as soon as she learned of the fraud. The police investigation also revealed no involvement in the fraud. The bank also failed to prove that the woman's negligence in this case resulted in the loss. Citing the RBI, the court then directed the bank to return the woman's ₹373,000 within four weeks.