Rs 2.16 crore siphoned from pharma firm’s account recovered within golden hour in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: The Central Crime Branch (CCB) prevented the loss of Rs 2.16 crore by freezing a bank account within an hour of receiving a complaint, the city police said on Tuesday.

The incident was reported in November 2025, with the police receiving an alert during the crucial golden hour, enabling swift action.

A senior police officer said the fraud was allegedly orchestrated by a cybercriminal operating from Nigeria, who targeted a Bengaluru-based pharmaceutical firm by creating a fake email ID.

Using the forged email, the accused contacted Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, the Hyderabad-headquartered pharma major.

Believing the email to be genuine, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories transferred Rs 2.16 crore as payment. However, the amount was credited not to the company’s official account, but to a fraudulent account opened in the name of Dakshya Ben Patel, a Gujarat-based woman.

The cyberfraudster had allegedly shared alternate bank account details through the fake email, diverting the payment to the fraudulent account.

The fraud came to light when the firm’s accountant noticed the discrepancy and immediately alerted the CCB cybercrime police.

Acting on the complaint, the police tracked the transaction and froze the beneficiary account within an hour, preventing the funds from being withdrawn.

A court order was subsequently obtained on January 5, directing the release of the frozen funds.