E-Paper
Cyber fraudsters pose as cops, con 73-yr-old of ₹24L in Ludhiana
The caller claimed that a SIM card registered on his (the victim’s) Aadhaar card was being used to upload child pornography.
Unidentified cyber fraudsters posing as cops allegedly duped a retired Merchant Navy engineer of ₹24.2 lakh, officials said.
They said the fraudsters put up an elaborate hoax, claiming the victim was implicated in child pornography and money laundering cases. They then coerced him into transferring money to settle the matter.
The victim, 73-year-old Harbans Singh from Rurka village in Dehlon, said he received a call from an unknown number on September 16.
He said the caller claimed that a SIM card registered on his (the victim’s) Aadhaar card was being used to upload child pornography. The caller told Singh that as a result of this, 27 criminal cases were being filed against him. The caller informed Singh that the number was also being used to launder money.
The complainant said the caller then transferred the called to someone who claimed to be one inspector Kohli from the Tilak Nagar police station. He alleged that the other accused reaffirmed the threats.
Singh said that despite his initially resistance, he was persuaded after the fraudsters staged a convincing video call.
He claimed they showed him what appeared to be a police station setup and said that they were making an ‘exception by not arresting a senior citizen’.
They asked him transfer ther money to their account for ’security purposes’, assuring the money would be returned once the cases were cleared.
The caller said till the case was cleared, he would remain under their ‘digital arrest’ and forced him to keep the camera of his mobile phone on.
Singh said that believing the same, he transferred ₹24.2 lakh and the accused then sent him fake receipts as proof of the transaction.
Later, he realised he had been duped and filed a police complaint. The cyber cell of local police registered a case against unknown accused and toom up an investigation.
Head constable Palwinder Singh said a first-information report (FIR) under sections 319 (2) (cheating by personation) and 318 (4) (cheating and dishonestly inducing someone to deliver property) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) .
Earlier, a gang of cyber criminals posing as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers had duped Padma Bhushan awardee and Vardhman Group chairperson SP Oswal, 82, of ₹7 crore and kept him under digital surveillance for two days.
The fraudsters staged a fake Supreme Court hearing through video call, sent a forged arrest warrant and did not let Oswal call or text anyone. They forced him to keep his Skype camera on August 29 and 30. The police had arrested two accused in the case.
