A senior doctor from Pune fell victim to a major online fraud scheme, losing Rs 25 lakh to criminals who impersonated senior officials from the Mumbai Police and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The fraudsters falsely accused the 62-year-old doctor of being involved in human trafficking and money laundering, coercing her into transferring the large sum under the guise of an ongoing investigation.
An FIR has been lodged in connection with the incident at the Cyber police station of the Pune city police, marking another instance of high-level cybercrime targeting unsuspecting individuals.
According to the FIR, the victim resides in an apartment near Sadhu Vaswani Chowk in Pune. On September 16, 2024, she received a WhatsApp call from a person pretending to be an employee of a telecommunication company. The scammer informed her that her phone number would be deactivated in two hours. Concerned, the doctor inquired about the reason, and her call was transferred to another individual posing as Mumbai Police officer Pradip Sawant.
Human trafficking and money laundering” lodged against her in Mumbai
Fraudsters
The fake officer sent her a WhatsApp document, claiming it was an arrest warrant issued by a court in Andheri, Mumbai. The arrest was allegedly linked to financial fraud charges against her. Shocked by the accusations, the doctor denied any involvement, but the fraudster told her the case had been handed over to the CBI for investigation.
Later that day, another fraudster, claiming to be a CBI officer, contacted the doctor via WhatsApp. The fake CBI official demanded details of her bank account balances, saying they were needed for the investigation. The following day, the victim was again contacted by the same person, who provided her with a bank account number and instructed her to transfer Rs 25 lakh to aid the investigation.
The doctor, believing that the investigation was legitimate and that her money would be returned, transferred Rs 25 lakh through RTGS. However, after the transfer, the fraudster demanded additional funds, which raised her suspicions
Realizing she had been scammed, the doctor approached the Pune Cyber police and lodged a formal complaint. The authorities have filed charges under Sections 319 (2), 318 (4), and 3 (5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act. The police have also launched an investigation into the bank account holder who received the transferred funds.
“The fraudsters manipulated the victim by pretending to be high-ranking officials, creating fear and urgency,” said an official from the Pune Cyber police. “We are actively investigating and will work to apprehend the individuals responsible.”
Online scams involving impersonation of law enforcement and government officials have been on the rise in India. Authorities urge citizens to be cautious and verify the identities of any individuals claiming to be from official organizations before acting on such demands
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Yash Kamble/MSM)
