Kochi: What was meant to be a hopeful trip to purchase a Toyota Innova Crysta, which he was dreaming for a while, ended in heartbreak for a 55-year-old Kochi school bus driver after cyber fraudsters siphoned nearly ₹3 lakh from his bank account while he was travelling to Delhi.

Martin M, a private school bus driver at Gregorian School in Maradu in Kochi, was travelling on the Nizamuddin Express with his son Manuel and a close friend, Sabu, on May 21. The trio was heading to New Delhi to purchase a late-2021 model Toyota Innova Crysta from the second-hand market, where prices are considerably lower than in Kerala.

For Martin, the vehicle represented an opportunity to supplement his income. He had planned to use the seven-seater as a tourist taxi during his off-duty hours. To raise the purchase amount, he had managed to raise ₹12 lakh, including ₹7.05 lakh obtained by pledging his wife Lissy's gold ornaments at the Bank of India branch in Maradu, where he had been a customer for decades.

However, around 11 am, with the train just four hours away from New Delhi, his plans took an unexpected turn.

Martin was resting on the train’s upper berth when his mobile phone began receiving a series of transaction alerts. Amid the noise of the train, he initially failed to notice the messages. The first alert showed a debit of ₹1.29 lakh. It was followed by another transaction of ₹65,000. Soon afterwards, a stream of identical debits of ₹5,014 each began appearing on the screen.

According to Martin, the money vanished within minutes. “We were completely paralysed. The money was just draining out of the account right in front of us, and there was absolutely nothing we could do to stop it. We were trapped on a moving train with minimal internet connectivity, watching my hard-earned money disappear message by message,” Martin recalled while speaking to Onmanorama.

By the time the transactions stopped, ₹2,95,800 had been withdrawn from the account. Martin said the fraudsters appeared to have gained access to the One-Time Passwords (OTPs) sent to his phone, even though he had not shared them with anyone. It seemed like his phone was completely hacked by the scammers.

Family rushes to bank, police
As Martin tried to contact the bank from the train, he alerted his family in Kochi. His wife Lissy, daughter Stephina, who was carrying her infant child, and son-in-law Ashin rushed to the Maradu Police Station and the local Bank of India branch to report the fraud.

Fortunately, because the incident occurred during banking hours, Martin was able to contact officials at the Bank of India branch in Maradu. The account was subsequently frozen, preventing further losses and securing the remaining balance. The family later approached the police cyber cell in Kakkanad and lodged a formal complaint.

Despite reaching Delhi and meeting their friend Jayson, a Delhi Police officer who had helped identify the vehicle they were planning to buy, Martin and his son were forced to abandon their plans and return to Kochi without purchasing the car.

“We went all the way to Delhi but couldn't buy the car because the bank account had to be frozen. All our plans were ruined. My wife, daughter and her little baby were running around trying to save whatever was left while I was stuck on a train thousands of kilometres away,”  Martin said.

According to information shared by the police with the family during the investigation, the stolen money was allegedly routed through online channels into two credit card accounts to clear outstanding negative balances. Martin said he does not own a credit card himself.

According to the police, if the looted money was transferred to a savings account by the hackers, reporting to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal would have helped Martin freeze the money in the recipients’ account. Because the funds were used to settle credit card dues, authorities were unable to place an immediate hold on the money,” said police sources. 

The incident has left him questioning the safety of digital banking. “Everywhere we turn, we are told to go digital and keep our money in the bank for safety. But where is the security?” Martin asked. 

“If a common man's hard-earned money can disappear in minutes without him answering a call or clicking a link, how can people feel safe? It sometimes feels safer to keep cash at home with proper locks and CCTV surveillance. At least if someone steals it, you might have a chance of identifying the thief. In cases like this, you are left completely in the dark. It is like your money was stolen by a ghost,” he added.

A complaint has been registered with the cyber cell in Kakkanad. Maradu Police have also recorded an FIR, which will be transferred to the cybercrime division.

According to Martin, police officials informed him that this was one among 18 cyber fraud cases reported at the station, highlighting the growing scale of such crimes.

His hopes of recovering the money now rest largely on a bank insurance claim. Bank officials have reportedly informed him that compensation may be possible if an internal inquiry establishes that the transactions occurred without his knowledge or involvement.

“I am just a common man who has spent 30 years driving buses. I pledged my wife's gold, hoping to build a better future for my family. Now we are left with a huge debt. I sincerely hope the insurance claim helps us recover the money because I don't know how we will otherwise overcome this setback,” Martin said.