Chandigarh, Aug. 25 -- Having never activated internet banking, a Chandigarh resident was shocked to learn that cyber fraudsters had siphoned off Rs.25.54 lakh from his bank account through online transfers. What unfolded next exposed a nexus in which his surrendered mobile number landed in the hands of a trader, who, driven by greed, connivedwith two bankers to steal his life savings. Hot on the trail of the three accused, all hailing from Haryana, for three months, police have finally arrested them. The complainant, a Chandigarh resident, a former Class 4 employee with Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (preferring not to disclose identity), maintained his retirement savings in an account at Punjab National Bank's Sector 26 branch. On April 21, 2025, when he attempted to withdraw Rs.5,000, he was informed by bank officials that his account balance had dropped below Rs.1 lakh after multiple transactions amounting to Rs.25.54 lakh between March and April through UPI/IMPS/RTGS. Alarmed by the discovery, the complainant clarified that he neither used internet banking nor owned a smartphone, making such transactions impossible on his part. He lodged a written complaint with the bank and later approached the Cyber Crime police station, leading to an FIR on May 13, 2025. Probing the matter, police found out that the complainant's registered mobile number, linked to his bank account, had been deactivated by his telecom service provider and later reissued to one of the accused, Balwinder, 33, who runs a solar panel business in Haryana. Upon receiving bank alerts, Balwinder realised that the number was tied to a bank account with over Rs.26 lakh balance and conspired to steal it. He approached Anup Kumar, 31, a contractual employee with the State Bank of India (SBI), to help him fraudulently activate internet banking in exchange for Rs.5 lakh. Anup then procured the complainant's ATM card details through his friend Pardeep Kumar, 31, a clerk at PNB, Sirsa, Haryana. With these details, the accused successfully activated internet banking and transferred the victim's funds into various accounts. Pursuing the accused for three months, police finally arrested Balwinder from Rajasthan on August 20, recovering the mobile phone and SIM card used in the fraud. During interrogation, he admitted to the crime and disclosed the entire conspiracy. Subsequently, on August 22, a raid in Sirsa led to the arrest of Anup, who confessed to arranging the ATM card details through Pardeep, who was later arrested from Ellenabad. According to investigators, Balwinder invested part of the defrauded money in his solar panel business, while also purchasing gold that he mortgaged with Muthoot Finance, and paid a cut to Anup, who facilitated the fraud. Police have successfully secured Rs.5.43 lakh of the stolen money. Investigation is continuing to trace the entire financial trail and uncover the broader nexus....