Mumbai: Cyber police impersonator scams engineer of Rs 19.14 lakh

The imposter gained access to documents. Representation pic

A person impersonating a Mumbai police Cyber Crime Cell officer defrauded a software engineer from Ahmedabad of Rs 19.14 lakh. The Ahmedabad Cyber Crime police initiated an investigation after the accused falsely implicated the victim in a case involving weapons, drugs and money laundering.

Pretending to connect her with the Mumbai police Cyber Cell, the imposter gained access to her documents and secured an immediate loan of R19 lakh, transferring the funds to various accounts.

As per the FIR, the complainant, Khushboo Shah, received a call from an unknown number on December 22, where the caller, posing as Harshvardhan, accused her of sending a suspicious parcel from Mumbai to Iran, containing five expired passports, four SBI credit cards, 450 grams of the drug MD, and a significant amount was paid to send the parcel.

Shah, in her statement to the police, asserted that she refuted sending any such parcel and began avoiding the calls. Despite her denials, the accused insisted that a complaint had been lodged with the Narcotic Department. To resolve the situation, he claimed she needed a no-objection certificate from the Mumbai Cyber Cell department.

Subsequently, the caller feigned transferring the call to the Mumbai police's Cyber Cell unit. Moments later, Shah was instructed to initiate a Skype call, during which she had to search for a profile of Mumbai Cyber Crime East, complete with the Mumbai police logo.

After submitting her Aadhaar card and other documents, she was informed that numerous bank accounts were linked to her Aadhaar card, potentially implicating her in money laundering. Further, a photo depicting a person with a weapon and cash was sent, falsely identifying her as one of the accused in the crime.

During her conversation with mid-day, Shah revealed, "I shared all the documents and even provided the OTP, being under the impression that it was required for a clearance certificate. Engaging me in a video call, the cybercriminals, posing as a female inspector and a guiding male officer with the camera off, carried out the fraudulent act. They exploited the net banking process, obtaining the OTP from me and swiftly securing an instant loan," Khusboo explained.

"After hours of conversation, I pleaded for a break and asked to use the washroom, but her request was denied. She managed to discreetly inform her mother about the suspicious call and courier situation. Her mother advised filing a complaint at the police station immediately. Upon disconnecting the call, I discovered a loan message indicating a total of Rs 19.94 lakh had been taken implicating me in the fraud," she added.

Urging others to approach the police promptly in such situations, she emphasised the importance of not succumbing to fear, especially when criminals exploit the name of a Mumbai Cyber Crime officer for their deceitful activities.

The Cybercrime police of Ahmedabad are investigating the matter and have also informed the Mumbai police about the modus used by the fraudsters.

Jitendra Yadav, ACP Ahmedabad City, Cyber Crime said, "The fraudsters are using the names of different agencies and cheating people. In such cases call the police for verification. The local police will help them."

Rs 19l
Amount scamsters defrauded