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Technical officer scammed of ₹50,000 at BSIP office amid 200 colleagues
“I was working in the office on July 10 when I received a call from an unknown number. The caller introduced himself as an employee of the cybercrime department.”
A technical officer at the geochemistry department of the city’s Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP) lost ₹50,000 in a scam that occurred in his office, in the presence of over 200 employees.
According to the FIR, the incident occurred on July 10, but an FIR was registered at Mahanagar police station on Monday under section 66 of the IT Act 2000. A complaint was also filed at the cyber cell the same day, said the victim, Ishwar Chandra Rahi.
“I was working in the office on July 10 when I received a call from an unknown number. The caller introduced himself as an employee of the cybercrime department, informing me that there was a parcel in my name containing 140 grams of MDM and other illegal items. He asked me to come to Mumbai for questioning. Later, he transferred the call to someone posing as a customs officer, who told me to be alone for the interrogation and warned of trouble if I didn’t comply. So, I moved to a secluded corner of the office and started cooperating,” said Rahi.
Rahi further stated that an officer came on a video call posing as a customs officer, and his English and communication skills convinced him to believe the fraudsters.
“They then sent me a link where I transferred ₹50,000. When the money was credited, I realized I had been tricked. I called a friend in the cyber cell, who told me to stop it. Later, I filed both an online and written complaint at the cyber cell the following day,” said the 40-year-old.
