Monday, April 25 2005 12:21 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: A California-based person of Indian origin has been arrested on charges of defrauding a US bank using stolen credit card numbers and for plotting similar frauds on two other banks.

Jaswinder Singh Sekhon, 27, now a Finnish national, was arrested by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents for allegedly defrauding Wells Fargo Bank of $500,000 in September 2004, sources said.

Using 200 stolen credit card numbers, he allegedly funnelled purchases made on these cards to two dummy companies of his - H&M Tobacco and H&M Indian Music - ICE found during its investigations launched in October 2004.

Further investigations revealed that Sekhon had plans to defraud two other banks - Bank of America and US Bank - using the stolen credit card numbers, Mark Wollman, ICE deputy special agent-in-charge, said.

According to documents presented to the Oakland office of the US Attorney for California, Sekhon planned to use these credit card numbers to make charges payable to the checking account of a company - Sakshi Small Transportation - which he controlled.

The accused is currently charged with one count of bank fraud, the sources said.