Varanasi, May 1 (IANS): He was happy driving and happier shopping. However, his luck ran out when he was caught by the cyber cell for making purchases worth Rs 30 lakhs from the salary account of former BJP MLA Surendra Narain Singh.

The former MLA's driver Vivek Singh had shopped for electronics, household, fashions and food items between 2019 and 2021.

Surendra Narain Singh was BJP MLA from 2017 to 2022.

The former MLA had lodged a complaint with the cyber crime cell about withdrawals from his account.

IG Range K. Satyanarain said that after registering a case on the complaint of former MLA Surendra Narain Singh, the cybercrime branch of Varanasi range conducted detailed investigation and on the basis of its outcome, his driver Vivek has been arrested.

On his tip off, the cybercrime cops have recovered two smart TVs, electrical equipment for DJ including amplifiers, sound mixing machines, stabilizers, lights, laptop, cooler, inverter, battery and many more of over Rs eight lakhs value.

During initial interrogations, Vivek divulged that he worked as watchman of Chunar police station in Mirzapur and had joined MLA as his driver against the monthly salary of Rs 9,000 in February 2018. While working for the MLA, Vivek became like a family member for him.

Singh gave details of his bank account in which he used to receive salary, and also mobile phones to the driver, who looked after the payments of mobile and medicines with the help of ATM cards.

In 2019 he downloaded the online marketing apps including Amazon and Flipkart started spending money from online purchasing by linking the ATM card of MLA with those apps. He used to receive delivery of online purchased articles at his personal address after receiving OTPs on the mobile phone of MLA.

Till 2021, he spent around Rs 30 lakh from the MLA's bank account.