E-Paper
Cops: Cyber swindlers dupe Ludhiana woman of ₹16. 30 lakh in three days
The victim, Gurpreet Kaur, a resident of Guru Arjan Dev Nagar, filed a complaint at the Cyber Crime Police Station; on her statement, an FIR was registered against unidentified fraudsters
A woman government teacher suffered a double setback after falling prey to cyber fraudsters twice within days — first losing ₹30,000 and then while attempting to recover the amount being duped of over ₹16 lakh.
The victim, Gurpreet Kaur, a resident of Guru Arjan Dev Nagar, filed a complaint at the Cyber Crime Police Station. On her statement, an FIR was registered against unidentified fraudsters under Sections 318(4) (cheating) and 319(2) (cheating by personation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Inspector Satvir Singh, SHO of the Cyber Crime Police Station, said the incident began on July 29 when Gurpreet received a WhatsApp message from what appeared to be her relative’s number, seeking ₹30,000 in an emergency. Believing it to be genuine, she transferred the money, only to learn later that her relative’s account had been hacked.
After approaching the police, she was advised to stay alert while her complaint was being processed. Meanwhile, she also lodged a grievance on the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) portal. Soon after, she received a WhatsApp call from a person posing as an NPCI representative.
“The fraudster assured her that her ₹30,000 would be refunded but insisted that she first make additional payments. Between July 31 and August 2, the woman was persuaded to transfer over ₹16 lakh into different bank accounts. The caller then disappeared,” inspector Singh said.
It was only later that Gurpreet realised she had been duped again. She, subsequently, filed another complaint, following which the cyber police launched an investigation. Authorities said efforts are on to trace the culprits who impersonated NPCI staff and executed the elaborate scam.
