Panchkula: ITBP sub-inspector loses ₹7 lakh to cyber fraudsters

The complainant received video calls from individuals posing as police and ATS officials. They appeared in uniform and sent documents purportedly from investigating agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Supreme Court, to make their claims appear genuine

A telecommunication sub-inspector with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in Ramgarh, Panchkula, lost ₹7.5 lakh after fraudsters posing as Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officials threatened him with a fake criminal case and coerced him into transferring the money.

Victim threatened with a criminal case by accused posing as anti-terrorism squad members. (HT File)

According to the FIR registered at the cyber crime police station on October 17, complainant Madan Singh of Rohru, Shimla, received a call on September 29 from a person who claimed that his Aadhaar and mobile number had been linked to a criminal case. The caller told him that the case would be transferred to the ATS headquarters in Pune.

The complainant received video calls from individuals posing as police and ATS officials. They appeared in uniform and sent documents purportedly from investigating agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Supreme Court, to make their claims appear genuine.

The callers later asked him to share his bank details and transfer money to accounts provided by them. Between October 11 and 12, the complainant deposited ₹7.5 lakh into the accuseds’ accounts.

The accused assured him that the money would be returned within 12 hours. When the money was not returned, he realised that he had been cheated and filed a complaint on the national cybercrime reporting portal.

The cyber crime police station is investigating the case, officials said.