Mumbai Cyber Fraud: 75-Year-Old Retired Executive Duped ₹70 Lakh In The Name of Pahalgam Terror Attack

Mumbai’s R.A.K. Marg police have registered a shocking case of digital arrest fraud in Parel, where a 75-year-old retired senior corporate executive was conned of ₹70 lakh by cyber fraudsters.

According to police, the incident began on 25 September around 3:57 pm, when the victim received a call from a woman identifying herself as “Vinita Sharma,” an officer from the ATS Control Room in New Delhi. She falsely claimed that the victim’s Aadhaar and mobile number had been linked to suspicious activities related to the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir.

Soon after, the senior citizen received a video call from a man in an IPS uniform who introduced himself as IG Premkumar Gautam. The fraudster threatened the victim with arrest, freezing of bank accounts, and cancellation of his passport.

In a carefully orchestrated scam, the conmen extracted personal details including his political leanings, income, bank balances, fixed deposits, stock holdings, and even details of his wife. They then cited fake RBI guidelines, claiming his funds first needed to be “certified as white money.”

Falling prey to the threats and deception, the victim transferred a total of ₹70 lakh into three different bank accounts specified by the fraudsters. They even sent him a forged RBI acknowledgment on WhatsApp after receiving the money.

The fraudsters went further, asking him to switch off his mobile phone, his wife’s numbers, and even their home computer under the pretext of surveillance. He was instructed not to contact anyone, leaving him under severe mental stress.

On 28 September, when the scammers pressured him to transfer an additional ₹1 crore from his fixed deposits, the victim grew suspicious and finally approached R.A.K. Marg Police Station to file a complaint.

Mumbai Cyber Crime Cell has now launched a high-priority investigation. Officials have seized WhatsApp messages, audio recordings, and bank details linked to the fraud. Police are tracing the cyber trail and financial transactions to identify and nab the culprits.