Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (JD)

Udupi, Jul 24: In response to the rising incidents of online fraud and cyber scams, a coordination meeting was held on Wednesday July 23, in the conference hall of the Udupi district police office. The meeting aimed to foster better communication and cooperation between the police department and various banks operating in the district.

The meeting was chaired by Hariram Shankar, superintendent of police, Udupi district. He was joined by Sudhakar Nayak, additional superintendent of police, Udupi; Dr Harsha Priyamvadha, assistant superintendent of police, Karkala sub-division; and Harish G, lead district manager, Lead Bank, Udupi.

Over 140 bank officials representing various branches across the district attended the meeting. The discussion primarily focused on ensuring swift and efficient handling of cybercrime-related banking procedures. Officials were instructed to provide Know Your Customer (KYC) details promptly upon request and to act quickly in freezing and unfreezing bank accounts linked to fraudulent activities.

The police emphasized the importance of sharing CCTV footage from ATMs as early as possible when requested for investigation purposes. Bank managers were also urged to alert authorities about fake bank accounts and those operated by illegal immigrants, and to share such data with the police department to aid in ongoing investigations.

To ensure smoother coordination in the future, a proposal to appoint nodal officers from both the police department and banking institutions was presented. The attending bank officials expressed their agreement and support for this initiative.