A 59-year-old retired officer of the Indian Air Force (IAF) was scammed out of Rs 1 crore in a cyber fraud involving a false ‘digital arrest’. Officials report that the scammers impersonated government officials, accusing him of money laundering and threatening him with legal consequences, including the seizure of his property and arrest.
As per the complaint lodged with the Cyber Crime Police Station, Mishri Lal from Jewar received a call on May 17 from someone claiming to be Rajesh Sharma, supposedly an employee of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The caller alleged that Mishri Lal’s Aadhaar and mobile number were implicated in a money laundering case highlighted by the Finance Ministry.
Officials indicated that the call was subsequently transferred to individuals pretending to be officers from the Colaba Police Station in Mumbai. The impersonators validated the accusations and cautioned him that his assets would be confiscated and that he would face a digital arrest. They also proposed an interrogation via video call, asserting that he was being monitored by several government agencies.
Cyber Officials stated that to enhance the authenticity of the threat, the scammers sent documents that appeared official via WhatsApp, complete with Finance Ministry seals and arrest information. They warned Mishri Lal against discussing the matter with anyone, citing national security concerns. According to officials, the fraudsters pressured the former IAF officer to transfer all the funds from his bank accounts to six separate accounts, allegedly for verification purposes.
As reported by Cyber officials, Mishri Lal transferred a total of Rs 1,00,02,000 to accounts at HDFC, SBI, and ABD Bank. He became aware of the scam on June 13 and quickly filed a complaint through the cybercrime portal. The following day, a formal case was initiated under the applicable sections of the IT Act.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) (Cyber) Manisha Singh confirmed that the funds were dispersed across accounts located in various regions of India. “We suspect that rented bank accounts were utilized and are currently working to freeze the defrauded funds. Ongoing investigations are in progress,” she stated.
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