Fraudsters posing as courier, govt officials defraud Navi Mumbai woman of Rs 80 lakhs

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A 63-year-old woman from Navi Mumbai allegedly fell prey to a scam orchestrated by fraudsters acting as officials of a worldwide courier service and government authorities, losing Rs 80 lakh, Thane police said on Wednesday.

According to cyber police officers, the victim, a former power company employee who lives in Vashi, received a phone call on March 29 from someone purporting to represent an overseas delivery business. The caller notified her of a parcel received in her name that was claimed to contain illicit goods. Subsequently, the victim got bogus letters from the Reserve Bank of India, the Enforcement Directorate, and the Finance Ministry via a Skype account, threatening legal action, the PTI report stated.

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Accoridng to the report, the fraudsters forced the woman into transferring Rs 80 lakh into numerous bank accounts under the premise of assisting her in evading arrest and property verification.

On Tuesday evening, after becoming aware of the fraud, the victim filed a police report. An FIR was filed against anonymous individuals under pertinent sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act, the report further said.

Repotedly, authorities have launched an inquiry to find the accused and bring them to justice.

Meanwhile, in another case, the authorities from Navi Mumbai arrested a 21-year-old who had been evading arrest for six months after he allegedly killed his partner.

Per the PTI report, senior police inspector Sunil Shinde revealed that on October 10, 2023, the lifeless body of an unnamed woman was discovered in an isolated part of Bhingri village, which is located in Navi Mumbai's Panvel region.

A murder case was then launched, prompting the police to seek information on those familiar with the victim and inhabitants in the area where the body was discovered, the PTI report added.

According to the news agency, Pandav Gorakh Jadhav, also known as Pandya, a resident of Panvel's Maldhakka slum colony, was suspected of cohabiting with the deceased and strangling her to death before fleeing the scene.

On March 29, law enforcement agents set up a trap at a shopping mall in Panvel based on a tip, and Jadhav was apprehended when he arrived, the report further added.