A 71-year-old resident of Vashi has fallen prey to cyber fraud, losing a staggering sum of Rs 83 lakhs in a fake money laundering case. The victim was coerced by the fraudsters who falsely claimed police scrutiny regarding alleged fund transfers into her bank account. Seizing the opportunity under the guise of an investigation, the perpetrators successfully siphoned off the substantial amount.
The victim, a woman, and the complainant stated that she received a call on April 23 afternoon regarding a parcel supposedly containing her ATM card, passport, and other items. The caller identified themselves as an official from the Customs Department in Delhi and informed her that a case had been registered against her at the South Delhi Police station. They instructed her to come to the police station for further investigation. The caller then transferred the call to another individual who claimed to be Police Inspector Sunil Kumar from the South Delhi police station.
The fake police inspector also provided a confidentiality agreement, asset seizure order, and a warrant of arrest. The complainant, feeling intimidated, shared her Aadhar and bank account details with the caller. Subsequently, the caller explained that a gangster named Sanjay Singh had allegedly opened a bank account in her name, through which Rs 380 crores had been transferred, and she had received a commission.
From April 24 to April 25, the fraudsters continued their threats of police action, and under the guise of various procedures purportedly from the Reserve Bank of India, they managed to transfer an additional Rs 83 lakhs. They falsely promised that the money would be returned after the completion of the investigation within two days.
On April 25, when the son of the victim returned home in the night, she explained the whole incident to him. Her son then informed her that she had been deceived by cyber fraudsters. Subsequently, she registered a complaint at NCCRP Portal and later at Vashi police station. A case was registered under relevant sections of IPC and IT Act at Vashi police station.