In a shocking incident, cyber criminals posing as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers duped an 83-year-old doctor from Ranebennur in Haveri district, Karnataka, out of ₹3.7 crore. The victim, Dr. Bhimasen Karjagi, a senior consultant doctor at Sanjeevani Nursing Home, fell prey to an elaborate scam executed by fraudsters over the course of more than a month.
According to SR Ganachari, the Circle Police Inspector of the Cybercrime Economic Offenses and Narcotics (CEN) police station, the scam began on April 11, 2024, when Dr. Karjagi received a call from an unlisted number. The caller, introducing himself as Dixit Gadad, claimed to be an inspector from the CBI in Mumbai. Gadad informed Dr. Karjagi that the CBI had filed a case against Naresh Goyal for bank fraud and money laundering and alleged that Goyal had transferred money to Dr. Karjagi's Canara Bank account before withdrawing it.
Using this pretext, the fraudsters demanded verification of all bank account transactions from Dr. Karjagi. Under duress and fear, Dr. Karjagi transferred money to 10 different accounts, all belonging to the fraudsters. The transactions, conducted via Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS), continued until May 17, 2024.
Inspector Ganachari explained that the doctor was coerced into transferring a total of ₹3.7 crore to various accounts across different banks. Eventually, Dr. Karjagi approached the CEN police station to report the crime, prompting an ongoing investigation that now requires the support of technical experts to trace the fraudsters.
The police have expressed significant concern over the increasing incidence of such scams, despite repeated warnings and awareness campaigns conducted by the Cyber Economic and Narcotics Crime (CEN) division. "Individuals continue to fall for these deceptive schemes, leading to substantial financial losses," Ganachari stated. "People should inform the police if they receive any suspicious phone calls; it will help in avoiding financial losses."
(Input from various media sources)
(Rehash/Krisha Shah/MSM)
