Chemical company CFO duped of ₹8.5 lakh by fraud posing as MD

After sending the money when the MD called the complainant for some work, he learnt that the former had not sent the message.

Mumbai: The Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) police has registered a cheating case based on a complaint lodged by the chief finance officer (CFO) of a chemical company claiming that a cyber fraud duped him of ₹8.55 lakh. The accused posed as his company’s managing director and chief executive officer and sent him a message urgent money transfer. After sending the money when the MD called the complainant for some work, he learnt that the former had not sent the message.

On August 30, he received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number in which the sender claimed to be Vinati Saraf, Goyal’s employer and the company’s MD and CEO (Shutterstock)

The complainant, Nandkishore Goyal, 62 works as CFO in Vinati Organics Ltd, which manufactures organic chemicals. On August 30, he received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number in which the sender claimed to be Vinati Saraf, Goyal’s employer and the company’s MD and CEO.

According to the police, the fraud posing as the complainant’s boss told him not to share her new number with anyone. The impersonator further told Goyal that she is busy in an important meeting and not to call her. Once the meeting is over, she would call him, and then she sent bank account details and asked Goyal to immediately transfer ₹9,50,702 via RTGS.

Goyal transferred ₹8,55,632 to the bank account after deducting TDS and called on the said number. The person did not take the call and later sent details of a few more bank accounts asking Goyal to send money to those bank accounts as well, the police complaint states.

On receiving the further messages, Goyal suspected some foul play and called the person multiple times, but in vain.

Later in the day, Vinati Saraf contacted him for some work. At this time Goyal asked her about the messages regarding sending money. She told him that she had not sent any such messages, the FIR stated.

Goyal then realised that he was duped and contacted the bank executives to get the sent money frozen, but in vain. On Tuesday, he filed a police complaint with the BKC police station.

The police have registered a case against the unidentified fraud under sections 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code and 66C (identity theft) and 66D (cheating by personation by using computer resource) of the Information Technology Act.

“We have written to the concerned bank seeking details of the beneficiary bank account and also analysing phone calls details of the fraud’s mobile number to get some clue in the case,” said an officer.