Kanpur scribe outwits conman, makes him lose patience, money
A journalist in Kanpur outsmarted a scammer posing as a CBI officer, turning the tables and making him pay thousands of rupees.
It is a rare occurrence, in the jungles as well as the human realm, when a hunter becomes the hunted. In such an incident, a journalist in Kanpur showed exceptional wit and turned the tables on a scammer by making the latter pay him thousands of rupees.
On March 6, Bhupendra Singh, the scribe, got a phone call when he was readying for his wedding anniversary celebration. The voice on the other end claimed to be from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). “One of your obscene videos has gone viral,” the caller said coldly, sending Singh into a panic. “I have registered a case against you, and I will be sending you a copy,” the caller added before abruptly ending the call.
Frozen with fear, Singh rushed to check his phone. The display picture of the caller seemed to show a legitimate CBI officer. “I was scared out of my wits,” Singh recalled.
As Singh stood absorbed in a whirlwind of thoughts, another notification chimed. It was a message from the same supposed officer, this time containing an image. The message appeared to be a complaint, but it didn’t resemble an official FIR. Suspicious, Singh used Google Lens to investigate further, soon realising that he was likely being targeted by a scammer.
Determined to turn the tables, Singh quickly devised a plan to outsmart the scammer. An hour later, the “CBI officer” called again, this time insisting that Singh had already been booked under a serious charge. “If you want to save your reputation, you must pay a fine of ₹16,000,” the caller said.
Singh pleaded with him that he needed more time. The “CBI officer,” who introduced himself as a DSP (deputy superintendent of police), seemed unusually lenient, offering Singh a 24-hour grace period.
The following day, Singh received another call from the scammer. He gave him an elaborate story, claiming that he had stolen a gold chain from his family and pawned it for ₹3,000. “If you give me ₹3,000,” Singh pleaded, “I can retrieve the chain and return your ₹16,000 along with it.” The supposed DSP, who appeared too eager to help, was convinced by the story and sent the money to Singh through UPI.
The next day, Singh told the caller that the jeweller was refusing to return the jewellery without additional payment. “The jeweller is insisting that I pay an interest, and there’s still ₹4,000 left to clear,” he said. Despite the growing absurdity of the situation, the “DSP” played along.
Singh then told the ‘DSP’ that he was a minor, and no one was willing to buy the stolen chain. However, he claimed there was hope in the form of a loan of ₹1,10,000 from a company, though the processing fee was ₹500, and another ₹3,000 was needed to bribe a company executive. Desperate to resolve the situation, the caller sent the amount to him again.
At this point, the ‘DSP’, out of patience and money, made one final request. “The last ₹3,000 came from my wife. I had to borrow it from her.” he said. Hoping to guilt-trip Singh into paying back the money, he reportedly said: “My family needs to celebrate Holi, I’ve saved your future, now pay me back.”
The final straw came when Singh, perhaps realising the absurdity of the entire situation, responded in an unapologetic tone and with an expletive. Singh promptly handed over the scammer’s number to the cybercrime cell.
DCP (Crime) Ashish Srivastava, confirmed the incident, stating, “The central cyber cell of Kanpur police is investigating. We have all the details: screenshots of transactions, bank details of the scammer, his number, and video and audio recordings of the calls.”
