Mumbai Resident Falls Victim to Courier Scam, Loses Rs 7 Lakhs

A Mumbai resident, aged 27, recently became a victim of a courier scam, resulting in a loss of Rs 7 lakhs. Courier scam involves criminals posing as police officials who contact victims, claiming they have intercepted packages containing illegal items. These fraudsters coerce victims into transferring significant funds by falsely assuring clearance from charges.

The victim employed with KEM Hospital's Community Medicine Department as a Senior Resident since November 2023, filed a complaint with Bhoiwada police station when the  money was not returned within an hour. The case was filed on Thursday, 7 March. The fraud was committed on 1 March.

 As per the complainant, he received a call on 29 February from an unknown number, purportedly from Mikmag Courier Services. The caller alleged that a parcel destined for Taiwan contained drugs and had been seized by the Mumbai Police. The pretentious customer care representative claimed the parcel contained 5 passports, 3 bank credit cards, 140 grams of MDMA drugs, and clothing, along with a laptop. Despite denying ownership, she was instructed to speak with the cyber department.

The person claiming to be from the Cybercrime Police Station informed him that several bank accounts were opened in his name across various states, allegedly linked to transactions with terrorist organizations, making her a wanted criminal. Despite the denial, the complainant was informed that evidence incriminating him warranted a digital arrest, accompanied by the issuance of a CBI letter bearing the name and stamp of DCP Cyber Millind Rambhau Bharambe IPS. The scammers asked the victim to pay Rs. 684,315 with RBI, which will be refunded within an half hour, as per the statement.  

"Based on the complaint, a case under IPC section 420, 419, 465, 467 and under Privacy Act 2000, 66(C) and 66(d)was registered," the official said. Further investigation is in process.

Subash Borate, Senior Police Inspector at Bhoiwada Police Station, provided an update on the ongoing investigation into the fraud case. He said, “So far we could only recover Rs. 2 lakhs by restricting a few transactions in process and efforts to identify the suspects are underway."