Kalyan Banerjee Loses Over Rs 55 Lakh After Fraudsters Access His Account Using Forged KYC

In a shocking case of online financial fraud, senior Trinamool Congress leader and four-time Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee has allegedly lost over Rs 55 lakh after cybercriminals accessed his dormant State Bank of India (SBI) account using forged documents.

The SBI High Court Branch in Kolkata has lodged a formal complaint with the Cyber Crime Police Station seeking an urgent investigation.

According to the complaint, the fraudster used forged PAN and Aadhaar cards, with a different photograph superimposed on apparently genuine documents, to update the KYC details of Banerjee’s account.

The impersonator also changed the registered mobile number linked to the account on October 28, 2025, thereby gaining full access.

Once the credentials were altered,

the fraudster reportedly executed a series of unauthorised internet banking transactions, siphoning off Rs 56,39,767.

The funds were allegedly moved to multiple beneficiary accounts, spent on jewellery purchases, and also withdrawn through ATMs.

According to the details, the account in question had remained inactive for years, as it was opened when Banerjee served as a Trinamool Congress legislator from Asansol (Dakshin) between 2001 and 2006, a period when his salary as a West Bengal MLA was credited there.

The dormant account, lying unattended since then, was recently found to have been reactivated through fraudulent means.

Banerjee, who was previously the chief whip of the Trinamool Congress in the Lok Sabha, reportedly discovered the fraud when he learned that Rs 55 lakh was first transferred from his personal account at SBI’s Kalighat branch into the dormant account, and subsequently siphoned off through a series of online transfers.

After the irregularity came to light, Banerjee alerted SBI officials, who initiated a cybercrime complaint and began internal checks to determine whether any procedural lapses occurred within the bank.

Subsequently, the bank assured that it would provide all supporting documents, KYC records, and transaction details to aid investigators in tracing the culprits and the money trail.

IANS quoted a senior officer of the Kolkata Police Cyber Crime division as saying that a probe 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.

A senior Trinamool leader close to him was quoted as saying that the MP remains “hopeful that the police will crack the case soon and help him recover the lost amount.”

The police also said that the fraudsters had used Banerjee’s photograph and a new mobile number to complete the fake KYC process, a sophisticated method of impersonation that has raised concerns over potential vulnerabilities in digital banking verification systems.

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