In a daring operation, hackers have broken into 29 Axis Bank accounts, including at least 12 salary accounts operated by Mumbai policemen, in the last two months and withdrawn Rs 13 lakh in cash through ATMs in Britain and Greece.

The cash was withdrawn in euros, the police said on Friday. The incident came to light when policemen in the city received SMS messages that cash had been withdrawn from their Axis Bank accounts, they said.

To cross-check the fraud perpetrated on them, policemen immediately visited the nearest ATMs and found that cash had indeed been withdrawn.

According to DCP Satyanarayan Choudhari, it was not immediately known as to how much amount had been withdrawn from the bank accounts of the policemen.

He said that besides the salary accounts of the policemen, there are savings accounts of the general public. “Even last night (Thursday), the bank officials confirmed that accounts were hacked in different parts of the city," Choudhari said.

The police claimed that the debit cards have been cloned and the withdrawals done in Britain and Greece, adding that an FIR will be lodged soon in this connection.

The accounts were hacked during April and May, police said, adding that Axis Bank had contacted Mumbai police and informed that they had set up a committee to probe the matter.

Police later got information that the cyber fraudsters had withdrawn Rs 13 lakh from the 29 hacked bank accounts.

Police suspected that after getting hold of sensitive customer data, the gang had been making duplicate cards and carrying out withdrawals from ATMs in Britain and Greece.
Cyber crime sleuths have tracked one such duplicate card used at an Axis Bank ATM near the headquarters of the state police in Colaba.

Axis Bank said it had compensated all the affected customers and launched a full-scale investigation.

"We have reversed the impact in all such customers' accounts with immediate effect," a bank spokesperson said, adding that less than 50 accounts were impacted by the fraud.