Badlapur man loses Rs 86 lakh in cyber fraud by fake probe agency officials

 

Police registered a case against unidentified persons for cheating a Badlapur man of Rs 86.49 lakh by posing as officials from government investigation agencies, an official said on  Thursday, July 30. 

The fraud took place between July 18 and 29, when the cyber criminals contacted the complainant through video and voice calls, identifying themselves as personnel from the Data Protection Board of India and the National Investigation Agency, according to the official.

The accused claimed a bank account opened in Nashik using the victim's credentials had been used to fund terror activities, alleging he had received a commission from it and threatening him with arrest, the official said.

Fearful after being kept under constant audio and video surveillance, the victim transferred Rs 86.49 lakh into three bank accounts provided by the accused.

The 58-year-old victim realized he had been duped and approached Badlapur East police station on July 29, where a case was registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act for extortion, cheating, impersonation, forgery and other offenses, the official said.

The investigation is ongoing, and no arrests have been made so far, the official said.

(With inputs from PTI)