TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee claims Rs 57 lakh siphoned from dormant bank account
Kolkata (PTI): Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee has claimed that Rs 57 lakh has been siphoned from his dormant bank account linked to his previous tenure as a West Bengal MLA.
Police have started a probe into the incident after a formal complaint was lodged by the bank authorities with the cybercrime section of Kolkata Police, an official said, adding that they were yet to arrest anyone in this regard.
"It is quite shocking... The account was opened when I was Asansol South MLA and remained dormant for several years after I became Serampore MP," Banerjee told PTI.
They superimposed my photograph and used fake Aadhaar and PAN cards to carry out the criminal activity, he claimed.
The miscreants also added a phone number to the account and all the OTPs and transaction details got diverted to them, he alleged.
"The criminals transferred Rs 57 lakh from my account. If this can happen to an MP, what will be the condition of a common man? How come these people find out that I had such a significant amount of money in my account?" Banerjee asked.
Speaking to PTI, a senior officer of Kolkata Police said that investigation was on and they were going through the transactions and all other details.
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
