Cyber Fraud Hits Himachal Pradesh State Cooperative Bank, Rs 11.55 Crore Stolen via Customer's Mobile App

In a major cybercrime incident, the Himachal Pradesh State Cooperative Bank has fallen victim to a sophisticated hacking operation that siphoned off Rs 11.55 crore. The breach occurred after fraudsters infiltrated the bank's systems through a customer's mobile phone, targeting the Halti branch in Chamba district.

According to reports from the State Cyber Cell, the fraudulent activity occurred between May 11 and May 12 but went unnoticed due to a bank holiday. It was only on May 14, when the transaction report from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was received, that the massive security breach came to light.

The cybercriminals reportedly hacked the bank’s mobile banking application and managed to transfer the stolen amount to 20 different bank accounts. Following the discovery, the bank immediately filed a formal complaint at Police Station Sadar in Shimla. The case was subsequently handed over to the Cyber Police Station for detailed investigation.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Cybercrime Mohit Chawla confirmed the incident and stated that a special team from the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) based in Delhi is en route to Shimla to aid in the forensic investigation. Cyber commandos from the Himachal Pradesh police are also actively involved in the probe.

“Further technical details and the extent of the breach will be confirmed after a comprehensive investigation by CERT-In and our cybercrime specialists,” DIG Chawla said.

The bank has reassured customers that their funds are safe and under protection. Officials confirmed that all suspicious transactions have been identified and the transferred funds have been frozen, preventing any further unauthorized movement.