A 72-year-old man from Malad West lost more than INR 90 lakh after cybercriminals posed as police officers and kept him under a “digital arrest” for 10 days. The fraudsters accused him of being linked to transactions involving the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) and told him that his bank accounts were being used for illegal activities.
The scammers ordered the man to liquidate his investments and transfer the money to bank accounts provided by them. They also allegedly made him report his location every two hours throughout the 10-day period.
The complainant lives in Malad West with his wife, two children and a son. His family depends on interest earned from fixed deposits as well as his daughter's income as a teacher.
The scam allegedly began on August 28, when a man wearing a police uniform contacted the complainant through a video call. The caller told the man to appear before the Panchavati police station in Nashik, claiming that a warrant had been issued against him.
The officer accused the man of allowing his debit card to be misused and claimed that transactions worth crores of rupees had taken place through it. The following day, another person contacted the complainant and claimed to be an officer from the Panchavati police station. The caller allegedly sent him several documents to make it look real.
Among them were documents carrying the PFI letterhead and photographs of people described as terrorists. The scammers also allegedly sent around 20 fake complaints and told the man that he had received a 20% commission from the bank transactions.
The fraudsters then escalated the threats. According to a police official familiar with the case, they sent forged documents from the Supreme Court and alleged that the complainant was involved in money laundering and posed a threat to national security.
The scammers also allegedly made him sign a confidentiality agreement.
They then questioned him about his investments and asked him to liquidate them by August 31. The money, they claimed, had to be transferred for verification to bank accounts mentioned in fake correspondence carrying the names of the Reserve Bank of India and the Enforcement Directorate.
Under pressure from the callers, the complainant transferred about INR 90 lakh. The scammers did not stop there. After receiving the money, they allegedly demanded another INR 40 lakh. They threatened the man with arrest and imprisonment for seven years if he failed to make the additional payment.
The fraud came to light when the phone numbers used by the alleged officers were switched off. The complainant then realised that he had been deceived and contacted the National Cyber Helpline in 1930. The North Cyber Police have registered a report against and the investigation is underway.