Udupi: A 76-year-old retired bank employee was allegedly cheated of Rs 22 lakh by cyber fraudsters who impersonated officials from the Cyber Crime Department, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The fraudsters reportedly intimidated the victim through a series of WhatsApp video calls, falsely claiming that his bank account had been linked to a major money laundering case.
The victim, Jayakar Kamath P, later realised he had been duped and lodged a complaint with the Udupi Cyber Economic and Narcotics (CEN) Police Station.
Fraudsters posed as senior officials
According to the police complaint, the victim received a WhatsApp video call from an unknown mobile number on July 10.
The caller, dressed in a police uniform, claimed to be an officer from the Cyber Crime Police Station at Colaba in Mumbai. The fraudster allegedly informed the victim that a bank account in his name had been used in a money laundering operation involving hundreds of crores of rupees.
The caller further claimed that the matter was under investigation and warned the victim of legal consequences unless he cooperated with the authorities.
Victim convinced to transfer money
Police said the victim continued to receive WhatsApp video calls between July 11 and July 16 from different individuals posing as senior officials.
The callers allegedly introduced themselves as ADGP Vishwas, ED officer Anil Kumar and cyber crime officials. They convinced the victim that his bank deposits had to undergo a mandatory “fund verification” process as part of the investigation.
Believing the claims to be genuine, the victim transferred Rs 22 lakh from his bank account through RTGS to the bank account specified by the fraudsters.
Complaint lodged with CEN police
After realising that he had been cheated, the victim approached the Udupi CEN Police Station and lodged a complaint.
Based on the complaint, police have registered a case under Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act and Sections 114(4), 319(2), 308(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
An investigation has been launched to trace the accused and identify the bank accounts used in the fraud.
Police advise public to remain alert
Police have once again cautioned the public against responding to calls from persons claiming to be officials of police, the CBI, the ED or other government agencies demanding money transfers.
Officials said genuine investigating agencies do not ask people to transfer money for account verification or to avoid legal action. Citizens have been urged to verify such claims through official channels and immediately report suspicious calls to the nearest cyber police station or the national cybercrime helpline.