A Thane man was swindled out of ₹71.1 lakh by cyber criminals impersonating CBI officers in a sophisticated online fraud involving threats and forged documents.
Key Points
- A Thane resident lost ₹71.1 lakh to cyber fraudsters posing as CBI officers.
- The scammers initially contacted the victim claiming he sent abusive messages and was under investigation.
- Forged documents, purportedly from the Supreme Court, were used to convince the victim of the legitimacy of the scam.
- The victim made multiple online transactions to the fraudsters, believing the money would be refunded after the case was settled.
- The fraud was uncovered when the victim's wife questioned the transactions and verified the documents.
Cyber fraudsters posing as CBI officers allegedly duped a 42-year-old man from Maharashtra's Thane district of Rs 71.1 lakh after threatening to implicate him in a false case of harassment, police said on Saturday.
According to the police, the victim, a resident of Dombivli, received a call in the first week of March from an unidentified person claiming to be from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
"The caller told the complainant that he had sent abusive messages to women and that a case was registered against him at Ghatkopar police station, and that the CBI was probing the matter," an officer said.
Elaborate Scam Unfolds
Subsequently, the two accused, posing as CBI officers, contacted the victim, alleging that his bank transactions indicated fraudulent activities.
"The duo claimed that multiple agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED), would investigate the case. They also sent forged documents, purportedly from the Supreme Court, to make their claims appear genuine," the officer added.
He said that the accused demanded money in phases from the complainant to settle the case, assuring that the amount would be refunded.
The victim shelled out Rs 71.1 lakh through online transactions, he said.
Discovery and Investigation
The fraud came to light after the victim shared details of the transactions with his wife, who questioned the accused and verified the documents sent to them. On finding discrepancies, the family realised they had been cheated.
A case of cheating was registered earlier this week at the Tilak Nagar police station under relevant provisions of the IT Act, and a probe is underway, the official said.
