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Ludhiana: 2 elderly men lose 28L to cyber fraudsters

By, Ludhiana
Jan 15, 2025 05:22 AM IST

Cyber fraudsters targeted two elderly residents in the city, stealing ₹28.9 lakh through scams involving fake health cards and antique coin purchases.

Cyber fraudsters targeted two elderly residents, taking away 28.9 lakh from them in the city. A 69-year-old retired ONGC official lost 14.9 lakh from his bank account after fraudsters targeted him under the pretext of issuing a smart health card. The scam was executed through an online form and fraudulent bank transfers.

The cyber crime police station has registered an FIR. (HT File)
The cyber crime police station has registered an FIR. (HT File)

Victim Rajendra Singh, a resident of Phase-II of Urban Estate, Durgi, filed a complaint with the cyber crime police station which subsequently registered an FIR. Singh, a former general manager of the dealing branch of ONGC’s Mumbai office, said he received a phone call on January 7 that disconnected abruptly. Moments later, he received a WhatsApp call from an unknown number. The caller, identifying himself as Kuldeep Srivastava, claimed he was from the retired employee cell of ONGC’s Dehradun branch. The imposter informed Singh about a new smart health card for retired employees and asked him to fill an online form and pay 10 for the service. “I completed the form and paid 10 from a bank account jointly handled by me and my wife. Shortly after, I realised the call might have been fraudulent as the form also sought my bank details,” Singh said. Alarmed, he rushed to his bank and sought to secure the 19.5 lakh in the account by creating a fixed deposit receipt (FDR). The bank assured him that the money was secure.

Next morning, Singh received a notification that 14.93 lakh had been withdrawn from his account. The fraudsters had also attempted to transfer another 4.95 lakh, but the bank had blocked the transaction.

Inspector Jatinder Singh, SHO of the cyber crime police station, said Sections 319(2) (punishment for cheating by personation) and 318(4) (cheating) of the BNS were slapped. Investigators are tracing the accounts wherein the stolen money was transferred to identify the culprits.

The second case involved a local businessman who lost 14 lakh. Victim Taranjeet Singh, 64, a resident of Guru Nanak Nagar on Dhandra Road, reported that he had advertised his collection of antique coins on an online platform. On March 17, 2024, he received a call from a man identifying himself as Sanjeev Kumar, who expressed interest in purchasing the coins. The caller asked Singh to share pictures of the coins.

“I shared pictures of six coins. He assured me 45 lakh in return. He claimed that RBI approval was required for the purchase and asked for a 750 processing fee, which I paid via a barcode he sent,” said Taranjeet.

The next day, another caller contacted Taranjeet, claiming to be Sanjeev’s representative, and asked for an RBI permission letter to release the payment. When Taranjeet sought the letter, Sanjeev Kumar demanded an additional 12,298 as fee. After paying, Taranjeet received a letter but was then asked to pay 25,000 for official charges.

“I complied but the payment was never released. Instead, they kept demanding more money under various pretexts. When I hesitated, they resorted to threats,” Taranjeet recounted.

He received a WhatsApp call from someone who had displayed a police officer’s picture as profile photo. He threatened him with dire consequences unless he paid more money. Terrified, Taranjeet made multiple payments, totaling 14 lakh. Eventually, the fraudsters disappeared.

ASI Raj Kumar from the cyber crime police station said an FIR has been registered and efforts are on to trace the fraudsters.

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