A Bengaluru-based businessman was deceived through a sophisticated impersonation scam, resulting in a loss of ₹15.45 crore over a period of weeks.
The victim, Ajit Gopalakrishna Saraf from Belagavi, received a call from a fraudster posing as K Subramanyam, claiming to be the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The caller alleged that 2 SIM cards registered in Saraf’s name were linked to Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal.
The fraudster further claimed that Goyal had been arrested and that investigations revealed Saraf had laundered ₹25 lakh from his Canara Bank account in connection with Goyal, earning a commission.
The caller threatened immediate arrest and legal consequences if Saraf did not cooperate. The situation escalated into what authorities describe as a “digital arrest,” where the victim was placed under intense psychological pressure.
Fearing legal action, Saraf transferred ₹15.45 crore through Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) transactions between February 7 and March 9, 2026.
The fraud came to light after Saraf approached the Cyber Crime Police Station upon realising he had been cheated and filed a complaint.
During the investigation, police identified at least 10 primary beneficiary bank accounts linked to the fraud. These accounts were traced across Hyderabad, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, and West Bengal, indicating the involvement of an organised inter-state cybercrime network.
Authorities stated that efforts are ongoing to trace the accused, freeze the identified accounts, and recover the defrauded amount.
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