E-Paper
Mohali: Retd teacher tricked into paying ₹80 lakh with fake arrest threats
Complainant Harbhajan Kaur, a resident of Phase 3B2, told Mohali police that on December 9, she received a call from a man claiming to be a Mumbai cyber-crime branch officer
Cybercriminals posing as officials from the Mumbai cyber-crime branch and the CBI duped a 68-year-old retired school teacher of ₹80 lakh.The scammers used fake FIRs, arrest warrants and threats of court appearances to intimidate her into transferring the money.
Complainant Harbhajan Kaur, a resident of Phase 3B2, told police that on December 9, she received a call from a man claiming to be a Mumbai cyber-crime branch officer. The caller alleged that her aadhaar-linked mobile number had been used for money laundering and other illegal activities, and claimed that an FIR and a non-bailable warrant had been issued against her.
The caller warned Kaur that failure to report to the Mumbai cyber-crime branch would result in her phone being blocked and her arrest. Shortly afterwards, she received another call and WhatsApp alleging her number had been used to send objectionable messages and videos, leading to 17 FIRs against her.
In a subsequent call, another scammer impersonated a CBI director and described the case as “high-profile.” The caller falsely linked her name to a money laundering case involving Jet Airways owner Naresh Goyal and demanded ₹58 lakh as no objection certificate (NOC) fee for a Supreme Court (SC) hearing.
Following this, Kaur transferred ₹25 lakh from her Punjab & Sind Bank account on December 10. The following day, she made two additional transfers— ₹30 lakh and ₹25 lakh—into the fraudsters’ accounts. Later realising that she had been scammed, Kaur reported the incident to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP) and local police.
Cyber cell has launched an investigation and is tracing the suspects’ locations and bank account details. Kaur has requested strict action against the perpetrators and the recovery of her lost savings.
Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Jatinder Chauhan said, “The police have registered a case under Sections 318 (4), 61 (2) and 66 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 17 of IT Act at cyber crime police station.”
