In a shocking case of cyber fraud, a retired doctor lost nearly ₹9.77 lakh from his bank account without sharing any OTP or banking details. The incident came to light after unknown cybercriminals made multiple unauthorized transactions from his NRE (Non-Resident External) account.
Following the complaint, the Oshiwara Police registered a case under fraud and IT Act provisions and have launched an investigation to trace the culprits. The Cyber Cell officials are also conducting a parallel probe into the matter.
The 65-year-old complainant, a retired doctor, currently resides in Lokhandwala Complex, Andheri, with his family. He had worked in the US for several years before settling in India post-retirement six years ago. He holds an NRE account with a private bank in Andheri.
On January 18, while the complainant was at his residence in the US, he received multiple messages on his mobile phone at around 4:45 PM, mentioning money transfers to different bank accounts. Assuming it to be a system error or spam, he ignored the messages. However, later that day, a staggering ₹5.36 lakh was transferred from his bank account to various accounts.
Realizing something was amiss, he immediately contacted his bank, where officials provided details of the online transactions.
Upon returning to Mumbai two days later, the victim approached the Cyber Cell at BKC, who advised him to file a formal complaint with the Oshiwara Police Station. Based on his complaint, the police registered an FIR against unknown cybercriminals under fraud and relevant sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act.
Both the Cyber Cell and Oshiwara Police have launched an investigation to track the culprits behind the fraud. Authorities are analyzing digital footprints and bank transaction details to identify those responsible.
Cyber fraud cases have been on the rise, and officials have once again urged citizens to stay vigilant and report any suspicious banking activities immediately.