63-year-old Goregaon resident duped of ₹71L in fake money-laundering case

A 63-year-old Goregaon man lost ₹71.24 lakh to scammers posing as officials, threatening him over a fake money-laundering case. Police are investigating.

MUMBAI: A 63-year-old resident of Goregaon fell prey to cyber fraud, losing ₹71.24 lakh in a scheme orchestrated by scammers posing as Customs and CBI officials. The victim was manipulated through threats and fake documents into believing he was implicated in a money-laundering case involving illegal passports, debit cards, and drugs.

63-year-old Goregaon resident duped of ₹71L in fake money-laundering case

According to the police, the victim, who retired in 2018 from the Bandra head office of a steel manufacturing firm, lives with his wife and son in Goregaon. On September 24, around 8:30 am, he received a call from a person claiming to be a Customs official at Delhi Airport. The caller alleged that a parcel booked in the victim’s name had arrived at the Cargo Complex Terminal, containing 16 illegal passports, 58 debit cards, and 180 grams of MDMA, and had been flagged as suspicious.

The caller informed the victim that his Aadhaar card had been misused to book the parcel from Singapore. To escalate the matter, he said that Sunil Kumar from the Delhi Police Crime Branch would contact him for further questioning.

Shortly after, Sunil Kumar contacted the victim via a WhatsApp video call, demanding that he display his Aadhaar card on camera and share images of both sides. Pretending to record the victim’s statement, the fraudster instructed him to isolate himself in his bedroom for privacy.

The scammers falsely claimed that a case had been registered against a certain Sanjay Singh, who had allegedly deposited ₹38 crore in the victim’s bank account. When the victim denied any such transaction, the fraudster accused him of involvement in money laundering, further intimidating him by threatening his family’s safety if he revealed the matter to anyone.

The victim was then sent forged documents via WhatsApp, including a “Confidentiality Agreement for Asset Seizure Order” and a “Warrant of Arrest,” both of which appeared to be official government documents bearing the emblem of the Ashoka Pillar and “Satyamev Jayate.”

Under duress, the victim disclosed details of all his bank accounts, balances, and investments. The scammers escalated the fraud by introducing another accomplice who posed as a CBI officer. This “officer” persuaded the victim to transfer all his savings— ₹71.24 lakh—to a designated account, assuring him that his assets would be returned after the investigation.

The victim realised he had been duped only after transferring the funds through RTGS. He subsequently approached the Cyber Police and lodged a complaint at the North Cyber Police Station.

Police have registered a case against unidentified persons under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Information Technology Act. An investigation is underway to trace the frauds and recover the stolen money. Authorities have urged citizens to remain vigilant against such scams and to verify the authenticity of any claims before sharing sensitive information or transferring funds.