Mumbai: Woman Intelligence Officer Duped in Online Fraud Under Pretext of Mahanagar Gas Connection in Bandra

A case of online fraud involving a woman police officer attached to the State Intelligence Department has come to light in Bandra, where an unidentified cyber fraudster allegedly duped her under the pretext of a Mahanagar Gas connection. Following her complaint, the Bandra Police registered an FIR under charges of cheating and relevant sections of the Information Technology Act and have launched an investigation into the unidentified accused.

According to police, the victim resides at the Bandra Police Colony and is currently posted as an Assistant Intelligence Officer with the State Intelligence Department. The incident occurred on Saturday, May 9, when she was at her residence.

Police said the officer received a phone call from an unknown person claiming that her Mahanagar Gas pipeline connection had been approved. The caller informed her that a PDF file had been sent to her mobile phone to generate an ID and asked her to open the file and fill in the required details.

Upon checking WhatsApp, she found a PDF file in the name of “Mahanagar Gas.” Trusting the caller, she opened the file and entered her personal as well as bank account details. Soon after uploading the information, two online transactions of Rs 20,000 and Rs 25,000 were carried out from her bank account, resulting in a total loss of Rs 45,000.

After realising she had been cheated, the officer attempted to contact the caller on the same mobile number, but received no response.

Subsequently, she approached the Bandra Police and lodged a complaint against the unidentified cyber fraudster. Based on her complaint and preliminary verification, police registered a case of cheating and offences under the IT Act.

Police officials said efforts are underway to trace the bank account where the money was transferred and identify the account holder involved in the fraud.