70-year-old retired teacher who lost ₹70K to Customs fraud, duped again of ₹14.38L while recovering money

MUMBAI: A 70-year-old retired teacher who lost ₹70,000 to a man posing as a Florida-based doctor was cheated of another ₹14

MUMBAI: A 70-year-old retired teacher who lost ₹70,000 to a man posing as a Florida-based doctor was cheated of another ₹14.38 lakh when she went online seeking help to recover her money, falling into a second, far bigger cyberfraud trap.

The Mulund resident, who lives alone, was first allegedly duped by a man who identified himself as Dr Krishna Mohan, a urologist settled in Florida. Months later, while searching for a way to recover the money she had lost, she came across an online advertisement for a firm claiming to help cybercrime victims. What followed was a series of demands for taxes, GST, legal charges and other payments, with the septuagenarian eventually losing more than 20 times the amount she had originally been trying to recover.

The East Region Cyber police have registered an FIR in the case. According to police, the first fraud began in September 2025 when the woman received a friend request on social media from an unknown man identifying himself as Dr Mohan. To convince her that he was based in the US, Mohan allegedly sent her a copy of an American passport on September 26, 2025.

After exchanging messages with her, Mohan allegedly told the woman that he was travelling to Dubai but was unable to withdraw cash because of US regulations. He then asked her for ₹15,000, which she transferred.

He subsequently claimed that he had been detained at Delhi airport and needed money to clear Customs duties because he was carrying US dollars. Trusting him, the woman allegedly transferred another ₹55,000.

The frauds then allegedly escalated the deception by introducing a second caller who posed as a Customs officer.

“The woman received a call from a fraud posing as a Customs officer and was told to transfer ₹1.55 lakh. She was told that Dr Mohan had brought around $40,000 in cash, worth about ₹37.79 lakh, and would therefore have to pay a penalty in Indian rupees,” a police officer said.

This time, however, the woman became suspicious and refused to transfer any further money. That could have been the end of the ordeal. Instead, it marked the beginning of a second fraud.

In July 2026, while looking online for ways to recover the ₹70,000 she had already lost, the woman came across an advertisement for Luthra & Luthra Company, which claimed to help victims of cybercrime recover their money. Believing she had finally found a way to get her money back, she contacted the number provided in the advertisement.

Police said a man assured her that they could help recover the money and claimed he had spoken to an RBI officer who would guide her through the process. The woman was then asked to transfer ₹10,000 to open an account and another ₹71,000 towards GST.

After she made the payments, the alleged frauds blocked her. But the 70-year-old was not done searching for help. She soon came across another social media advertisement, this time operating under the name “cyber victim support”. After clicking on it, she received a call from a man claiming to be a special advocate. He allegedly told her that he had filed a case against her with the Delhi Cyber police.

The deception then took another turn. The woman allegedly received a call from another man posing as a Delhi Cyber police officer, who told her that the money involved in the original fraud had been invested in a wealth management company in her name.

The alleged frauds sent her documents showing what appeared to be an investment account with a balance of ₹6.92 lakh. When the woman tried to withdraw the supposed funds, she was told to make a series of payments under different pretexts. Believing that she was paying taxes, charges and attorney fees to unlock and recover the money, she continued making transfers.

By August 31, police said, the retired teacher had transferred a total of ₹14.38 lakh to the frauds. It was only when she was unable to withdraw the supposed ₹6.92 lakh that she realised she had been cheated again. She subsequently approached the police, following which the East Region Cyber police registered an FIR and began investigating the fraud.