AHMEDABAD: A 62-year-old senior citizen, a resident of Chandkheda, was duped of Rs 8.78 lakh by some cybercriminals who impersonated officials from law enforcing and telecom departments.
The complainant stated that on Jan 2, her husband was travelling to Delhi and she was alone at home when she received a call from an unknown number claiming to be from the telecom department. She was told that her mobile number would be deactivated soon.
Curious to know the reason, she followed the instructions and dialled 9. Soon, she was told that they would arrest her, and the person spelled out her name. Later, another woman informed her that a mobile number was registered in her name and had transactions of Rs 6.8 crore linked to money laundering in Mumbai. The crooks asked for details, including where the mobile was bought, and gave her the ‘FIR number’.
Later, she was connected to someone claiming to be police inspector Rahul Kumar Yadav and Deep Sagar from the investigation department. The duo asked her to share her details with them via WhatsApp for verification. The complainant stated that she received a video call on WhatsApp with a Maharashtra Police logo, but no one was visible on the call.
“Later, I was sent a letter via WhatsApp stating my involvement in a case with a potential sentence of 6 to 8 years. They deleted the letter after I read it. They sent me various letters and photo of a person allegedly involved in a money laundering case, asking if I knew him. I denied knowing him. They claimed that a sim card in my name was found during the investigation,” the complainant stated.
The complainant stated that she was warned not to disclose any information to anyone. She was instructed to make transactions to a Federal Bank account under the guise of verification by the RBI, promising the money would be returned. “I transferred a total of Rs 8.78 lakh. Later, when I asked about the return of my money, they kept delaying and eventually deleted all details from my phone. Realising I was scammed, I reported the incident to the cyber helpline on Jan 9, and filed a formal complaint on Friday,” she stated. The Cybercrime police registered a case on Friday under BNS sections 61 (criminal conspiracy), 204 (personating a public servant), 308(2) (extortion), 316(2) (criminal breach of trust), and 318(2) (cheating).