ICICI Bank fraud: Couple loses Dh3,000

An Indian couple in Dubai says they lost over Dh3,000 to fraudulent withdrawals from their bank in India last month.

The couple had wired money from UAE Exchange to their account at ICICI Bank in India on October 15, but the next day, within minutes of the money being credited to their account in India, it started disappearing. "We got a message that the amount was credited into my account. In ten minutes, a message showed Rs5,385 (Dh411) had been withdrawn. Ten minutes later, another message informed me that Rs15,835 (Dh1,208) had been withdrawn," said Rockey Rai, a bank employee in Dubai.

After several calls to India, Rai was told his account had been blocked. But his relief was short-lived. "The next day, a further Rs21,000 (Dh1,602) was debited from my account," he lamented. Rai said he lost Rs42,220 (Dh3,221) out of the Rs304,000 (Dh23,200) he sent home.

His wife Nilisha Rai said: "The NRI manager in India asked us if we had accidentally swiped our own card. We only have one ATM card in Dubai, and that is with my husband."

Nilisha said: "The money was sent to clear the cheque we had issued to the developer of our house in India. The cheque bounced and we could have lost the flat and the down payment."

Meanwhile, Rehman Khan, Customer Service Manager, ICICI Bank Limited, said they had informed the customer that the case was being investigated.

"The stipulated timeframe for the investigation to be completed is 45 days," he added.