Cyber Fraudsters dupe senior citizen of ₹40 Lakh

The caller told him that during the investigation of a Delhi blast case, and while interrogating one of the accused, Dr Shaheen, officials had found bank accounts in the complainant’s name allegedly used for money laundering

Mumbai: Cyber fraudsters, posing as officials from the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and National Investigation Agency (NIA), allegedly duped a 61-year-old retired employee of the Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank of ₹40 lakh, police said.

Cyber Fraudsters dupe senior citizen of ₹40 Lakh

The complainant, a resident of Bhandup, lives with his wife, a bank employee and their 26-year-old son.

According to Eastern Cyber police, the fraud began on March 10, when the complainant received a video call from a man claiming to be an ATS and NIA officer. The caller told him that during the investigation of a Delhi blast case, and while interrogating one of the accused, Dr Shaheen, officials had found bank accounts in the complainant’s name allegedly used for money laundering. The fraudsters also claimed that a bank account had been opened in Hubli using his details, through which ₹2.64 crore had been laundered.

”They told the complainant that the Supreme Court had given them orders to attach his property and arrest him,” said the police officer.The complainant was instructed to isolate himself in a separate room and transfer ₹2.95 lakh from his bank account to theirs. He was also asked to sell his Bhandup property, which he refused to do because it wasn’t possible immediately. When they found out that he had ₹29 lakh invested in the stock market, they asked him to withdraw the funds.

The complainant paid them ₹28 lakh on March 13. ”On March 16 they asked him to transfer around ₹30 to ₹35 lakh as security deposit to grant him bail. The complainant asked his wife who took a loan of ₹10 lakh from her bank and paid the complainant. The complainant transferred the money to the cyber fraudsters’ bank accounts,” said the police officer.

They assured him that the money would be refunded within two days. However, when the amount was not returned, the complainant suspected he had been cheated and approached the police.

Police have registered a case against unknown persons under sections 308 (extortion), 318 (cheating), 319 (cheating by personation), 336 (forgery), and 61 (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.