ICICI Bank Ltd to pay around Rs 60K for raising false charges

A consumer forum here has directed ICICI Bank Ltd to pay nearly Rs 60,000 to its customer for deficiently "raising false charges again" for a fraudulent purchase made by someone else on his credit card.

The New Delhi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, presided by C K Chaturvedi, asked the bank to pay Rs 59,500 to one Rajeev Rastogi, in an exparte order.

"The Opposite Party (bank) has chosen not to explain its statement of April 16, 2011 (monthly statement along with raising charges), and therefore we accept the unrebutted evidence and hold OP guilty of deficiency in raising the false charges again after reversing the charges earlier," the forum said.

The forum directed the bank to issue a fresh statement by reversing charges of Rs 44,500 and award a compensation of Rs 15,000 towards harassment and legal expenses to Rastogi.

The complaint filed by Rastogi, alleged that his credit card was manipulated by someone in January 2011 for the purchase of a laptop worth Rs 44,500, for which he had got a message on his mobile phone and, he informed the bank about it the next day.

Though the credit was reversed and the bank issued a corrected statement, the card's monthly statement issued by the bank again showed the same debit balance of Rs 44,500, it said, adding that he had again sent a representation on legal notice, but nothing happened.

Thereafter, he approached the forum alleging transaction was forged and the entry was fabricated with active connivance and collusion of bank officials, it said.