Cyber fraudsters posing as Delhi Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and Jammu-Kashmir police officials cheated a 64-year-old woman out of Rs 22.4 lakh. They accused her of spying for Pakistan and threatened her with jail and a fine. According to the Mumbai Police, this is the first such case of cybercrime using espionage as a pretext to extort money.
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An FIR was registered at the South Cyber police station on June 5. As per the complaint, the woman received calls from 'inspector Prem Kumar Gupta of ATS' and 'Jammu and Kashmir Border Police station' who told her that a case against her was registered for sharing sensitive information with Pakistan.
The fraudsters sent their forged ID cards on her phone. They threatened her with a Rs 50 lakh fine and 10 years' imprisonment, claiming she was under surveillance for national security violations. Scared of the legal matters, the woman transferred a total of Rs 22.4 lakh to multiple bank accounts between June and 10.
Realising that she had been cheated, she approached the South Cyber police station on June 13. Following this, an FIR was registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act against the unidentified accused. Police are tracing the mobile numbers and bank accounts where the money was transferred.