Cyber Fraud Hits PNB Account Holder in Dhalai, Sparks District-Wide Panic

A growing wave of cyber fraud targeting customers of nationalized banks has reached Dhalai district, leaving residents worried about the safety of their savings. While customers of local banks like the Tripura State Co-operative Bank (TSCB) and Tripura Gramin Bank (TGB) have so far remained unaffected, several account holders in major nationalized banks are falling victim to online scams.

One such case has shocked the Ambassa region. Shobha Rani Deb, a resident of Vivekananda Nagar and a retired State Bank of India employee, recently lost a large sum of money from her Punjab National Bank (PNB) pension account located at Shikaribari branch in Kamalpur subdivision.

Shobha Rani first realized something was wrong when she received a mobile alert stating that ₹10,000 had been deducted from her account via UPI. Moments later, more messages followed, showing multiple small online transfers being made without her knowledge.

Alarmed, she sent her son to the Shikaribari PNB branch for clarification. There, bank officials revealed a shocking detail — between November 12 and 13, a total of ₹2.5 lakh had been siphoned off from her account in several online transfers of ₹99,000 each.

The revelation left the family stunned. Shobha Rani insisted she had never used online banking or UPI and always relied on withdrawal forms for transactions.

She immediately filed a written complaint with the bank manager and later lodged an FIR at Ambassa Police Station. The bank has reportedly informed her that it may take up to 45 days to complete the inquiry and attempt recovery of the stolen amount.

The incident has created widespread concern in Dhalai district, where many people — especially senior citizens — maintain accounts in nationalized banks but are unfamiliar with digital banking practices. The growing number of such scams has highlighted the urgent need for stronger online security measures and increased awareness among customers.

Police have started investigating the case, and authorities have urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity on their accounts immediately.