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Posing as CBI officers, trio held in Lucknow for ₹56L cyber fraud
According to Brijesh Yadav, in-charge of Cyber Police Station, Lucknow, the incident occurred on July 18, when the victim, Rita Bhasin, received a phone call from a person claiming to be a CBI officer. She was informed that her Aadhaar and mobile number were linked to illegal activities and that a case had been registered against her in Andheri East, Mumbai.
At least three men were arrested on Thursday by the Cyber Crime Police Station here for allegedly duping a woman of ₹56 lakh after posing as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers. The accused reportedly forced the woman into digital confinement, claiming she was involved in money laundering and terrorism cases.
The arrested individuals were identified as Anurag Katwari from Sultanpur, and Prakhar Pratap Singh and Anupam Singh, both residents of Rae Bareli. All three are in their twenties. Police said two mobile phones, 14 debit cards, and seven cheque books were recovered from their possession.
According to Brijesh Yadav, in-charge of Cyber Police Station, Lucknow, the incident occurred on July 18, when the victim, Rita Bhasin, received a phone call from a person claiming to be a CBI officer. She was informed that her Aadhaar and mobile number were linked to illegal activities and that a case had been registered against her in Andheri East, Mumbai.
The call was then transferred to a person pretending to be a Mumbai Police officer through a WhatsApp video call. The impersonator, wearing a police uniform, allegedly intimidated her with threats of arrest and legal consequences.
To avoid detention, the woman was instructed to isolate herself in a room and remain visible on video calls at all times. She was also warned not to contact anyone and was shown a fabricated arrest warrant and seizure order. Under the pretext of making a court-mandated payment, she was initially forced to transfer ₹47 lakh, followed by further transactions amounting to a total of ₹56 lakh.
Additional DCP (Crime/Cyber) Rallapalli Vasanth Kumar said the accused impersonated officials from agencies such as the police, RBI, and CBI. Using fake documents and staged video calls, they allegedly convinced victims they were under “critical arrest” and that compliance through money transfers was necessary to avoid jail.
Investigations revealed that the money was routed through multiple bank accounts, converted into cryptocurrency (USDT), and dispersed among the members of the gang.
“An FIR under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act has been registered,” the SHO added.
