Date:22/01/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/01/22/stories/2005012216120500.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Rs. 9.7 lakhs fraudulently withdrawn from bank

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, JAN. 21. Unidentified persons had withdrawn Rs. 9.7 lakhs from the bank account of a Hyderabad-based software firm employee after securing his chequebook by submitting a forged authorisation letter. A resident of Snehapuri Colony, T. Raghuram, 34, is working for Tata Consultancy Services. He left for the United States of America in 2002 and returned to Hyderabad on January 16. When he went to the bank, he found that Rs. 9.7 lakhs was fraudulently withdrawn from his account, the Abids Inspector, G. Vasusena, said.

After verifying the transactions, the bank authorities told him that one Ramesh had secured Raghuram's chequebook by submitting an authorisation letter which was apparently forged. Later, the accused had submitted cheques in various banks and transferred the amount to an account in the ICICI bank in the name of one Satyanarayana.

The Abids police suspect that a gang of three persons could be behind the cheating.