The state government’s e-procurement portal has been compromised as hackers diverted Rs 1.05 crore to a bank account belonging to a city-based company.
Shylaja S K, the financial consultant of the e-procurement cell, filed a complaint with the CID cyber crime police station on Wednesday.
In her complaint, Shylaja said she was looking into the approved list of EMD (earnest money deposit) refunds on July 30 when she stumbled on an unauthorised instruction for EMD refund of Rs 7.37 crore that has been made.
After verification confirmed that the amount was not approved for refund, Shylaja informed the banking partner, a private bank, to immediately stop refunds, which in turn informed her that the EMD refund subsystem of e-Procurement Portal was accessed unauthorisedly using (JSPSPY) a spy tool, stated the FIR.
The hacker used the tool to issue unauthorised instructions and Rs 1.05 crore was already transferred on July 1 to the account of a city-based company named in the FIR as Nimmi Enterprises.
The matter was brought to the notice of senior officials and the department’s portal has been taken down for immediate repair work and damage control.