Raipur Victims Struggle as Bank Accounts Frozen Over Fraud Money: Over 50 Cases Reported

Digital Desk

Rising cyber fraud across India is causing major headaches for citizens. While scammers exploit technical tricks to swindle money, the brunt is being borne by innocent account holders whose bank accounts receive the fraudulently transferred funds.

In Raipur alone, over 50 such cases have been registered with local police stations and the cyber cell. Once a suspicious amount linked to cyber fraud appears in an account, authorities often immediately freeze the account—regardless of whether the account holder is complicit or unaware.

Case 1: Account Frozen After Cyber Cell Alert
Divya, a building material supplier from New Rajendra Nagar, reported that her ICICI Bank account in Civil Lines was blocked a year ago after the bank received a notice from the cyber cell. The bank could not specify which district’s cyber cell had sent the alert. Despite approaching the police, she received no assistance and has now filed a petition in court.

Case 2: Salary Account Frozen, Money Inaccessible
Mikki (name changed), a private-sector employee in Kotwali area, revealed that her salary account was blocked after the bank flagged ₹11,000 as suspicious. “The account was frozen without my consent, and I can’t access money deposited by my family,” she said, highlighting the personal and financial inconvenience caused.

Case 3: ₹21,000 Blocks ₹20 Lakh
Tushar (name changed), owner of a garment shop in Ganj, explained that payments via PhonePe and Paytm led to a blocked account for the past five months. The bank told him a suspicious sum of ₹21,000 triggered the freeze, leaving over ₹20 lakh trapped. Authorities have not clarified which police department issued the alert.

Widespread Problem and Financial Strain
Raipur has more than 50 such victims, with accounts blocked over amounts ranging from ₹2,000 to ₹20,000. The account freeze has caused financial strain—people are forced to borrow, take loans at high interest, or struggle to meet household and business expenses. Delayed payments also lead to penalties and adversely affect credit scores.

Legal Perspective
Advocate Vipin Agrawal noted that while the law permits seizure of fraudulent funds, freezing entire accounts is not standard procedure. Courts have often directed only the suspicious amounts to be seized, but many banks continue to block accounts entirely, leaving innocent account holders in prolonged legal and financial limbo.