A shocking case of cyber fraud has come to light in Andheri, where a 73-year-old retired officer from the Maharashtra Port Department has been duped of ₹1.40 crore by unidentified cyber fraudsters. The accused lured the elderly man under the pretext of helping him claim his pending Provident Fund (PF) dues, using fake documents purportedly from the Ministry of Finance and a private bank.
According to the complaint lodged with the Cyber Cell, the fraud began on 14 May 2023, when the victim received a call from a person identifying himself as Alok Mehta, claiming to be from the Delhi office of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). The caller informed the complainant that a pending PF amount was due to him and that he needed to deposit ₹7,230 to process the transfer. Believing this, the retired officer transferred the money via NEFT.
Soon after, the caller began demanding additional payments under the guise of processing charges, security clearance, and maintenance fees. Over time, the complainant continued making payments, trusting the assurances given by the fraudster.
A few weeks later, the victim was again contacted and told that his PF file was ready and needed to be sent for final processing. He was asked to deposit ₹3.8 lakh and was promised a payout of ₹63.08 lakh. To reinforce the claim, the fraudsters sent him a fabricated letter on a fake Finance Ministry letterhead through WhatsApp. Convinced, the victim transferred the said amount.
Between May 2023 and April 2024, the victim made payments amounting to ₹60 lakh to various accounts on instructions from the accused.
In March 2024, the complainant received another call — this time from a woman named Mahi Sharma, who claimed to be a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officer. She informed him that Alok Mehta had been arrested for financial misconduct and that the victim's PF file was now under her charge. To gain his confidence, she sent him a fake cheque of ₹1.40 crore from a private bank and claimed the amount would be credited after payment of income tax and NOC charges.
Between April and November 2024, the victim sent her an additional ₹80 lakh, again through various bank accounts.
In total, the duo — posing as EPFO and CBI officials — defrauded the retired officer of ₹1.40 crore. However, when the promised funds never arrived in his account, the complainant began verifying the documents he had received. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the cheque and ministry letters were all forged.
He promptly approached the Cyber Cell, which registered a case under relevant sections of the IT Act and IPC related to fraud. Police officials have confirmed that investigations are underway, and efforts are on to trace the bank accounts provided by Alok Mehta and Mahi Sharma.
Cyber police have warned the public to remain vigilant and verify official claims through legitimate government portals, especially when dealing with financial matters like PF or pensions.