Navi Mumbai: Cyber Fraudster Posing as CBI Officer Cheats 82-Year-Old of Rs 57 Lakh in Kharghar

An 82-year-old resident of Kharghar lost Rs 57.6 lakh after a cyber fraudster posed as a CBI officer and pressured him to transfer money for RBI verification. The victim realised he had been cheated when he was unable to recover the funds.

The senior citizen received a WhatsApp call on his mobile on September 9, 2024. The caller, introducing himself as Ajit Srivastav, claimed to be a CBI officer from Delhi. The fraudster informed the victim that a complaint had been filed against him in the Customs Department and that a parcel containing fake passports, ATM cards, and narcotics had been found in his name. He further claimed that a criminal case had been filed against the victim in Delhi.

The fraudster then told him that an amount of Rs 80 crore had been allocated to him, which needed to be verified with the RBI. To resolve the issue, the accused instructed the elderly man to transfer the full amount to the fraudster’s bank account for RBI verification, assuring him that the funds would be refunded after the verification process.

Trusting the caller, the elderly man transferred the requested sum to the provided bank account. However, by October 2, 2024, the victim had not received any refund and became certain that he had been defrauded. After consulting with his lawyers, he submitted an online complaint via the NCCRP portal on November 28.

Based on the complaint, the Cyber Police Station has registered a case against the unidentified person under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the IT Act.