Retd IFS officer loses ₹29 lakh pension funds to cyber fraud

An FIR under IPC sections 419 (cheating by impersonation) and 420 (cheating), and 66C and 66D of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008 had been registered at the cybercrime police station in the city.

A retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer has lost ₹29 lakh of his pension settlement he had received only a month ago to a cyber fraud, police on Sunday said.

Rakesh Chandra, who was last deputed in Aligarh and is a Janakipuram resident, said in his police complaint the fraudsters had approached him disguising themselves as a treasury officer. (For representation)

Rakesh Chandra, who was last deputed in Aligarh and is a Janakipuram resident, said in his police complaint the fraudsters had approached him disguising themselves as a treasury officer.

An FIR under IPC sections 419 (cheating by impersonation) and 420 (cheating), and 66C and 66D of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008 had been registered at the cybercrime police station in the city. The ex-officer also alleged involvement of bank officials in the scam.

Chandra said he got a call on December 8 from a man who introduced himself as Kuldeep from the treasury in Lucknow. Kuldeep took all of his banking information over the phone conversation. “When I realised that it was a trap call, I immediately went to my bank and asked a bank official to freeze my account. Following this the bank freezed my account,” Chandra added.

A few days later he noticed that all of the money from his account had disappeared. Bank officials were apathetic towards him when he approached them with the situation, he alleged.