A young woman from Malad fell prey to a sophisticated cyber scam where fraudsters posed as Hyderabad Police officers, digitally arresting her and extorting ₹6.91 lakh. The Vikhroli Police have registered a case of cyber fraud and are investigating the matter.
The victim, identified as 33-year-old, works for a reputed company in Vikhroli. On the morning of September 23, while she was at work, she received a recorded call from an unknown number. The call informed her of fraudulent activity on her credit card and prompted her to press 9 for more details.
When complainant pressed 9, she was connected to a person claiming to be an RBI (Reserve Bank of India) official. The caller provided her with details of her credit card and claimed that she had an outstanding amount of ₹1.18 lakh on it. She was shocked, as she had not made any such transactions. The fraudster then informed her that a case had been filed in Hyderabad related to this issue.
The fake RBI official transferred the call to another person, claiming they were with the Hyderabad Police. The so-called police officer questioned complainant about her whereabouts in April and told her that a person named Naresh Goyal had opened a Canara Bank account in her name, using it for money laundering.
The fraudsters further scared complainant by claiming that Naresh Goyal had already been arrested and that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had also filed a case against her. To further intimidate her, they conducted a WhatsApp video call, during which they showed her an image of a police uniform. Complainant, terrified by the possibility of arrest, broke down in tears.
The fraudsters then instructed her to book a room in a hotel and warned her not to tell anyone about her "arrest." Scared for her safety, she checked into a hotel in Vikhroli. Over the course of several hours, the fraudsters coerced her into transferring a total of ₹6.91 lakh to various accounts to "settle" the matter and avoid arrest.
When Complainant did not return home, her family members grew concerned and began calling her. Finally, she informed them that she had run out of money and wanted to come home. Upon her return, she confided in her father, who immediately realized that she had been duped. He advised her to file a complaint.
Following this, she reported the incident to the Cyber Police Helpline and visited the Vikhroli Police Station to file a formal complaint. The investigation is ongoing.