Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
A fraudster posing as an IPS officer from Delhi allegedly cheated a 73-year-old woman of Rs 13.5 lakh by threatening her with a fake criminal case and seeking money in the name of an online investigation. A case was registered at the Jawaharnagar police station on May 16.
According to the complaint filed by Shobha Joshi (73, Jawahar Colony), she first received a WhatsApp call on December 8 from a woman claiming to be from BSNL Delhi, who said a complaint had been registered against her mobile number. Later, another person made a video call wearing a police uniform and identified himself as IPS officer Sunilkumar Gautam. He claimed that a man named Sandeep Kumar had been arrested for money laundering using an ICICI Bank account allegedly linked to Shobha Joshi’s mobile numbers. The caller even showed a passbook bearing her photograph. When Joshi denied owning the account, the fraudster told her she would have to travel to Delhi for investigation or cooperate online. Thereafter, she received daily video calls during which the accused collected details of her bank accounts, fixed deposits and other financial information. The fraudster allegedly demanded Rs 6.5 lakh initially and later another Rs 7 lakh to “clear her name” from the case, assuring her the money would be refunded. Believing the claims, Joshi broke her fixed deposits and transferred the amount.
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Fraud exposed after visit to US
Joshi’s son and daughter reside in the United States. After visiting her son on February 8, she narrated the incident to her family. Her son later searched online and found that the caller was not the real IPS officer. After returning to India on May 9, Joshi lodged a complaint at the Jawaharnagar police station. Police inspector Sachin Kumbhar is investigating the case.