Sep 12, 2008 02:50 AM
2723 Views
We live in Indianapolis, USA. I have a NRE a/c in ICICI bank . On november 30th 2007 I send a check of 25001 rupees (twenty five thousand and one) to one of my relatives in kolkata, India because of my uncle's treatment who was in ICU. Unfortunately he died.
Well my relatives never got that check. Three weeks before when I was checking my internet a/c status I found that my check (which was an account payee check) has been cashed in the name of a totally different person. I wrote to ICICI and they told me that they are investigating into the matter and will call me after 3-4 days.
They did not call me, when I called and had a talk to one of their NRE banking officers they said that they have paid the money to the “correct payee”, which is really surprising as they have paid the money to someone else other than the payee as per the original check. The check was issued in favor of Birendra Nath Bhattacharyya but was paid by the bank to one “Biplabi das”.
I talked with 6 of their NRE banking officers from time to time who did not have any fruitful answers about where my hard earned money went. But the way my check has been cleared within a day it raises obvious questions about the integrity of the banking staffs. (My account is at the Gariahat branch, Kolkata). Over phone and in their emails to me they are just too nonchalant in their attitude. I got an automated email that the name on the check was that of some random guy named “Biplabi Das”, who is totally unknown to me and whom they gave my money.
Well about 2 weeks ago they had sent me a scaned copy of my check and u will be utterly surprised to see how the fraud has taken place. The name of my relative or the beneficiary has been scratched off (you still can figure out the original name of my relative from the scratch) and the fraud's name has been written.The fraud person’s name has been authenticated by copying my original signature in a fraudulent way. The money had gone to an account because the account numbers is written on the check.
My signature at the bottom of the check has been copied fraudulantly( but it needs no handwriting expert to see that it has been done it a fraudulent way because of the way letters had been written which is different from my signature) and then signed at the place of the scratched name to validate that. I am truly surprised at the Banking system of ICICI that how a check with a scratched name and fraud signature can be cashed and money can be given to such a fraud. If this can happen to me then by this way any check can be fraudulently encashed by anyone if the bank’s verification system is so loose.
Well again 3 days before another phone banking officer named Bhavbya had sent me another scanned copy of my check …. I was astonished to see that my signature and the fraudulent signature(authenticating the new payee’s name) has been removed by the bank so that its not possible for us to match those two and thus make out that a fraud has been taken place. Just after few hours the same person in the name of bhavya called me at home and she was asking me how I will be able to prove now that the two signatures differ.
They were quite unaware that I have the original check and now I have the check where the signatures has been removed by the bank both of which if shown to any media person will be sufficient to prove that the bank is in the nexus and is trying to cover up the fraud.( otherwise the bank would not have removed the signatures in the second copy of the check they send me) Well the ICICI bank must credit my a/c otherwise this case for sure is going to the paper. And I have already done an FIR in the name of the Gariahat branch , Kolkata.
Amrita Ghosh
Indianapolis, IN
