‘If People Like Me...’: TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee Reveals How Cyber Fraudsters Duped Him Of ₹57 Lakh

Last Updated:November 08, 2025, 17:08 IST

Kalyan Banerjee, TMC MP from Serampore, lost Rs 57 lakh after fraudsters accessed his dormant SBI account using forged PAN and Aadhaar. Kolkata Police is investigating.

File photo of Trinamool Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee (PTI)

Trinamool Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee, who recently lost Rs 57 lakh to fraudsters revealed how the cybercriminals accessed his State Bank of India (SBI) account and stole the amount.

West Bengal’s Serampore MP said he had an account with the State Bank of India (SBI) that he had not operated for a long time. The funds were deposited in an account at the SBI Legislative Assembly branch during Banerjee’s tenure as the MLA for Asansol South between 2001 and 2006.

The account was inactive for several years. His MLA salary used to be deposited to the account.

The branch manager informed the TMP MP about the fraud. After a formal complaint from the bank authorities, the Kolkata Police’s cybercrime division has started an investigation. No arrests have been reported yet.

How Did Fraudsters Siphoned Off The Amount?

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.

After changing the login credentials, the fraudster allegedly carried out multiple unauthorized internet banking transactions, siphoning off ₹56,39,767.

The funds were then allegedly moved to multiple beneficiary accounts, spent on jewellery purchases, and also withdrawn through ATMs.

‘If Person Like Me’

Speaking to NDTV, Banerjee questioned how ordinary citizens could be protected if even public representatives like him could fall prey to such scams.

“If a person like me were to fall under the trap of bank fraud, what will the common people face? Why is the Ministry of Finance not setting up an anti-cyber fraud unit?" Banerjee told NDTV.

Banerjee, a former chief whip of the Trinamool Congress in the Lok Sabha, reportedly discovered the fraud after learning that Rs 55 lakh had been transferred from his personal account at SBI’s Kalighat branch to the dormant account and then siphoned off through multiple online transactions.

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."

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