Ranchi, Jan 14 A retired officer of a coal company in Ranchi, Jharkhand, has fallen victim to an elaborate cyber scam, losing Rs 2.27 crore over 11 harrowing days. The criminals, posing as officials, digitally coerced him into transferring his life savings to eight different bank accounts.
An FIR was registered at the CID Cyber Police Station in Ranchi, and a complaint was also filed on the cybercrime helpline number 1930.
Preliminary investigations by CID suggest that the fraud was orchestrated by a gang based in Maharashtra, with all implicated bank accounts linked to that state.
The victim, a retired Coal India officer residing in Ranchi's Bariatu area, said in his FIR that the ordeal began on December 10, 2024. He received a call from a man identifying himself as Abhiraj Shukla, purportedly an officer of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
The caller accused him of spreading misleading advertisements and messages from his mobile number. Despite the victim's denial, he was warned that his personal documents might have been misused to obtain a SIM card, enabling cybercriminals to perpetrate fraud in his name.
The caller claimed the fraud constituted a money laundering offence and threatened immediate arrest. However, he assured the victim that the Delhi Cyber Branch could intervene to prevent action if the victim was innocent.
Shortly after, the victim received another call from a woman introducing herself as Poonam Gupta, allegedly an officer with the Delhi Cybercrime branch. She instructed him to use his mobile camera for identification purposes and comply with further directives.
Over the next 11 days, the victim was coerced into staying on video calls and interacting with multiple individuals, including one purportedly posing as a senior IPS officer. He was repeatedly threatened and manipulated into believing his cooperation was essential to clearing his name.
To "prove" his innocence, the victim was pressured into transferring funds to various bank accounts. Believing the claims, he moved Rs 2.27 crore from his and his wife’s accounts, their total life savings.
Once the money was transferred, the fraudsters cut off communication, and their phone numbers were blocked. Realizing the deception, the distraught victim approached authorities, filing a complaint with the CID cyber police.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that the fraudulent bank accounts belong to individuals based in Maharashtra. The CID is working to trace the gang and recover the stolen funds.
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