Cyber Criminals Swipe ₹11.55 Crore from HP State Cooperative Bank— Customers Assured Funds Are Safe
In a shocking cyberattack, fraudsters hacked into the online banking system of Himachal Pradesh State Cooperative Bank, siphoning off a staggering ₹11.55 crore and transferring the amount to multiple accounts. The breach targeted a customer’s mobile banking app linked to the bank’s Halti branch in Chamba district, with the stolen money funneled into 20 different bank accounts.
Despite the alarming theft, Shravan Manta, Managing Director of the bank, reassured customers, stating, “All customer funds remain secure, and we have temporarily halted all transactions as a precaution.”
The cybercrime came to light three days after the attack, as the bank was closed for a holiday and had not received transaction alerts from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The incident reportedly occurred on May 11 and 12, but officials only discovered the fraud on May 14. A police complaint was swiftly filed at Shimla Sadar police station, and the case has now been handed over to the Cyber Crime Branch.
DIG Mohit Chawla (Cyber Crime) confirmed that investigations are ongoing, with experts from CERT-In (India’s cybersecurity agency) set to arrive in Shimla to assist. “We are working to determine how the bank’s security was compromised,” he said.
As authorities scramble to trace the culprits, customers are left anxious, hoping for swift justice and stronger safeguards against future breaches.
