Retired Bank Manager in Chandigarh Reports Rs 3.13 Lakh Cyber Fraud Linked to Fake Pension Card Call

A reported cybercrime involving a retired banker

The Times of India reported on 4 November that a retired bank manager in Chandigarh had complained of losing ₹3.13 lakh in a suspected online fraud. The account concerned an unsolicited contact on 23 October in which a caller claimed a pension card was being issued and asked the recipient to open an electronic file or application. The case is newsworthy for retired bankers because it directly concerns an alleged crime against a former banking professional, not because it necessarily arose from his past employment.

The report says the caller claimed an association with Punjab & Sind Bank. That was the caller’s assertion, not an independently verified employment relationship. The former employer of the retired manager was not established in the inspected reporting. Accordingly, this article does not identify any bank as an implicated institution or suggest that the real bank authorized the communication.

Complaint and police response

According to the newspaper, the victim described being asked to download an application and share sensitive information. Chandigarh cyber police have registered an FIR in connection with the complaints described in the newspaper’s report. An FIR records allegations for investigation; it is not a finding that any named or unnamed person committed the offence.

Details such as an independently verified transaction trail, arrests, recovery of the money and a court finding were not available in the inspected source. The account therefore remains an attributed allegation under investigation. The victim’s name, home address, personal documents and phone details are deliberately omitted here because they are not necessary to report the public-interest development.

Practical context for bank pensioners

The incident illustrates a risk when an unexpected caller asks a pensioner to install software in order to receive an alleged benefit. As general safety practice, recipients should verify pension-related communication through their bank’s independently sourced official channel rather than a link or number sent by the caller. They should not share authentication codes, card details or phone permissions with an unsolicited contact. These are precautions, not claims about the specific investigation.

There is no evidence in this report that Punjab & Sind Bank itself issued an illegitimate pension-card offer or participated in the alleged fraud. Any later arrest or recovery would require a separately verified update.

Sources and References

1. 2 city residents lose over ₹6L in online scams — The Times of India (2026-11-04)