A recently retired scientist from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly has lost ₹1.29 crore after falling prey to a cyber fraud carried out by criminals pretending to be law enforcement officers.
The victim, a senior researcher from West Bengal, was targeted in a well-planned cyber scam involving fake identities and threats. The cyber fraudsters used fear tactics to convince him that his identity was linked to serious cyber criminal activities. Disturbed by the incident, the scientist did not initially inform his family or friends and avoided giving clear answers to his bank when questioned. A formal complaint was lodged at the cyber crime police station a week after the incident.
Inspector Dinesh Kumar Sharma, who is investigating the case, confirmed the complaint had been registered. He stated that efforts are ongoing to track the suspects and freeze the bank accounts involved.
As per the complaint, the victim was living in government housing on the IVRI campus with his family when he received a WhatsApp call on June 17. The caller claimed to be an officer from Bengaluru City Police and alleged that the scientist’s Aadhaar card was used to illegally obtain SIM cards linked to crimes such as human trafficking and employment scams.
Although the scientist was initially doubtful, he believed the claim after seeing an official police logo on the caller’s WhatsApp display picture. The caller mentioned a person named Sadakat Khan had been arrested and had named the scientist during questioning.
The fraudster then instructed the scientist to call another number, saying it belonged to a CBI officer named Daya Nayak. When the scientist called the number, another impersonator pretending to be Nayak told him that suspicious funds had been deposited in his bank accounts. To determine which part of the money was legal, the victim was told to transfer all his funds to a so-called secure government account. He was falsely assured that the money would be returned after verification.
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