Father-son duo held for siphoning off ₹64 lakh from Indore court bank account

Indore Police arrested a father-son duo from Gujarat’s Valsad. Photo: Mehul Malpani/The Hindu

The Indore Police have arrested a father-son duo from Gujarat’s Valsad for allegedly siphoning off more than ₹64 lakh from a State Bank of India (SBI) account belonging to the Indore district court over a period of three months, officials said on Tuesday (June 17, 2025).

According to the police, Sajid Sattar, 57, and Sahil Rangrez, 26, both residents of Valsad, were arrested on Monday (June 17, 2025) by the crime branch following a complaint lodged by Puneet Tiwari, manager of the SBI branch located on the court premises.

Indore Additional DCP (Crime) Rajesh Dandotiya told The Hindu that the accused have been booked under Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 66 of the Information Technology Act.

Explaining the modus operandi, Mr. Dandotiya said that the mobile number originally linked to the Additional District Judge (ADJ) court’s bank account had been inactive for nearly two years.

“Some months ago, the telecom service provider reissued the number to Sajid Sattar, who began receiving bank transaction alerts. Unaware of the source, he shared the messages with his son Sahil, an IT professional, who then understood the implications,” Mr. Dandotiya said.

Mr. Rangrez allegedly linked his own UPI accounts to the bank account using the reissued mobile number and began withdrawing or transferring approximately ₹1 lakh per day through UPI transactions. “He used the funds for personal expenses, including shopping, travel, and the purchase of a car,” Mr. Dandotiya said, adding that transactions amounting to ₹64,05,000 were carried out between March 5 and June 11.

The fraud came to light when a transaction failed due to insufficient balance in the account, prompting bank officials to investigate and alert the police.

“We traced the transactions to Valsad and apprehended the duo. We will seek their police remand for further interrogation,” Mr. Dandotiya said. He added that any possible negligence on the part of bank officials will also be examined and legal action taken accordingly.

Published - June 18, 2025 01:30 am IST