A couple in Karnataka’s Chennapatna, who sell flowers for a living, was shocked to find that Rs 30 crore had mysteriously been deposited in their bank account overnight. 

Rehana Banu and her husband Syed Buhan’s bank account, which was started under the Jan Dhan Yojana which allows people to open zero balance bank accounts, originally had a balance of Rs 60. In December last year, the couple found that their bank balance had rocketed to Rs 29,99,74,084. The couple realised something was amiss when bank officials visited their home to question them about a “large deposit” and to inform that their bank account had been frozen.

Since then, the couple has been going from pillar to post to gain access to their accounts and find out who deposited the money.

The couple first went to the bank to find out what was the amount, but bank officials did not tell them. They were not willing to update the passbook at the bank, as the account was frozen, TH reported. Bank officials also kept asking them who sent them the money, but the couple stated they knew nothing about it. Syed then visited an ATM and found that nearly Rs 30 crore had been deposited into his wife’s account, but he could not withdraw the money.

Syed then recalled that he had bought a saree from an online shopping platform and they had called back to say that he had won a car and then asked for his bank account details and the OTP. The couple were asked to pay a deposit of Rs 6,900, but Syed said that they were trying to raise money for his ear surgery and could not afford it. However, Syed gave the information they requested but didn’t hear back from them.

Syed then also tried to file a complaint with the I-T department suspecting fraud, but the officials reportedly turned him away. He then finally decided to approach the Channapatna police. On January 9, the police finally took up his case. Syed told the police that an unknown person from Delhi had recently contacted him claiming that he had sent him money and had asked him to keep Rs 15 crore and give him the rest, Deccan Herald reported.

The police have filed a case under cheating, impersonation and also under various sections of the I-T Act and the IPC. The police suspect online fraudsters may be misusing Syed’s account and are trying to locate the man who contacted Syed.