Cons turn off SMS alert, docs lose 14 L in banking scam

Kolkata: A senior doctor attached to a prominent south Kolkata hospital was defrauded of nearly Rs 7.8 lakh in a banking scam. He alleged that several colleagues have been defrauded too, the total amounting close to Rs 14 lakh.According to the FIR, the crooks apparently blocked the victim's mobile banking alerts before executing the crime. Cops said the senior physician, who holds a premium account at a public sector bank branch on the hospital premises, noticed that all transaction SMS alerts abruptly stopped pinging from April 16.The Bidhannagar Cyber Crime PS has launched a probe after registering an FIR into the systematic siphoning of money, which occurred while the physician was grieving the demise of his mother. The distracted doctor could not monitor his account statement. The fraud came to light recently when he tried to use his debit card and found the account completely emptied.Investigators revealed that Rs 7.8 lakh was fraudulently debited through a series of unauthorised online transactions between April 19 and April 27. Officials indicate that four to five other medical staff members of the healthcare facility fell prey to similar fraudulent transactions.