Bengaluru man falls victim to courier scam, loses savings of ₹1.9 crore: Report

A Bengaluru resident lost a staggering ₹1.9 crore in a sophisticated courier scam where scammers posed as Mumbai Customs officials and cybercrime police.

A 30-year-old employee from a local private company has been swindled out of ₹1.9 crore in a sophisticated courier scam. The victim, identified as Aditya Kumar Jain, lodged a complaint with the Central Crime Branch (CCB) police earlier this week, detailing the elaborate scheme that led to his financial loss, The Hindu reported.

The caller told Jain that a parcel addressed to him and sent abroad had been intercepted as it contained five passports, 200 grams of MDMA, laptops, and a sum of cash. (Shutterstock)

Jain said he received a call from an unknown individual posing as a representative from the Mumbai Customs office. The caller claimed that a parcel addressed to him and sent abroad had been intercepted as it contained five passports, 200 grams of MDMA, laptops, and a sum of cash, the publication stated.

The caller further informed Jain that the Mumbai cybercrime police had been notified and were investigating his alleged involvement in a money-laundering operation. Under the guise of this investigation, Jain began receiving calls from various people claiming to be Customs officials or cybercrime investigators. They intimidated him with threats of legal action and requested his bank account details for further verification.

Frightened by the threats, Jain provided his bank account information, which the scammers then used to drain his accounts over two days, ultimately stealing a total of ₹1.95 crore. The fraud was discovered only after Jain discussed the incident with friends and family, prompting him to report it to the authorities.

The Central Crime Branch is now investigating the case, aiming to track down those responsible for the elaborate fraud. Further details are underway as probe is in progress.