Cybercriminals stole Rs 2.34 crore from the Ballari District Co-operative Central (BDCC) Bank in Vijayanagara, Karnataka.The theft came into light when multiple branches of the bank, which operates in the twin districts of Vijayanagara and Ballari, reported that customers were not receiving the money credited to their accounts.

According to the police, the criminals targeted the bank’s RTGS/NEFT transaction system. Initial investigations reveal that hackers altered account numbers and IFSC codes in the XML files during a routine transfer of funds from BDCC Bank to IDBI Bank on January 10, 2025.

Cybercriminals managed to steal money from BDCC Bank, even though the beneficiary names stayed the same. Instead of going to the right recipients, the funds were transferred to 25 different accounts in northern India.
The issue was discovered on January 13, 2025, when several bank branches noticed that online transfers from January 10 onwards were not showing up in customers' accounts. The bank found that transactions over Rs 5 lakh were redirected to other accounts.

To stop the issue, the bank immediately suspended its RTGS/NEFT services and filed a complaint with the Hosapete Town Police. The case was later handed over to the Ballari CEN (Cyber Economic Narcotics) Police Station.

The police have registered a case under the Information Technology Act and laws related to cheating and computer fraud. Authorities are now working to track down the criminals and recover the stolen funds.