The Crime Branch of Delhi Police today unearthed an Internet phishing racket allegedly run by a former BPO employee and two Nigerians, who siphoned off Rs 33.5 lakh from several bank accounts throughout the country.

Police said the accused would send e-mails, with a fake logo of the bank, to account holders informing them that there were "systemic errors in their accounts, which prevents them from conducting transactions over the Internet".

To "rectify the problem", the accused would ask customers to reply with their customer identification number and password.

They sent over a lakh bulk mails to account holders, and transferred money from the accounts of those who responded. "The accused hacked 23 accounts and withdrew Rs 33.5 lakh this way," said Anil Shukla, DCP, Crime Branch.

The accused have been identified as Ibimina Joshua (38), Felix Awatefe (33), both Nigerians, and the mastermind, Nurul Huda Khan of Manipur, police said.

The racket came to light after the Risk Control Unit of HDFC Bank alerted the police of a complaint from a Delhi-based customer of the bank in February.

The customer informed the bank that Rs 1.75 lakh had been unauthorisedly transferred to an account of one M Basumatari. The bank said it had received similar complaints from Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai.

The accused transferred money to accounts held by their friends, who were paid commissions, DCP Shukla said. The acquaintances would withdraw the money and give it to Khan, who later gave it to Joshua. Joshua would give the money to Awatefe, and Mike and Obruche, two other Nigerians, DCP Shukla said.

Awatefe, an unemployed, was arrested in 2006 in a lottery fraud in which he allegedly cheated several people to the tune of Rs 17 lakh.