Quick action helps elderly couple recover lakhs in cyber scam

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Acting quickly during the “golden hour” helped a retired Kulkarni couple in Jawaharnagar save Rs 3.81 lakh from cybercriminals.

On 14th October, while seeking assistance for their DTH connection, the couple received a call from a fraudster posing as company staff. The caller charged Rs 5 and extracted their bank and OTP details, quickly withdrawing Rs 95,000. The fraudster then tricked them into installing a malicious app, transferring Rs 1.35 lakh from the wife’s account.

Realizing the scam, the couple informed a relative, who alerted Assistant Police Commissioner Manish Kalyankar. Police, under Inspector Sachin Kumbhar and officer Maroti Gore, removed the app and coordinated with SBI, which froze Rs 2 lakh and blocked the rest. The couple recovered their funds just before Diwali celebrations.

Why acting fast matters:

• Cyber evidence like login details and IP addresses can vanish within hours.

• Fraudulent transfers are easiest to stop in the first hour.

• Banks can freeze accounts immediately when informed.

• Early complaints to RBI or central cybercrime portals boost recovery chances.

Tips for Citizens:

• Contact police immediately.

• Call the national cyber helpline at 1930.

• File complaints at www.cybercrime.gov.in.