Mumbai doctor duped of Rs 7.33 lakh by cyber fraudster posing as cop

PTI, Mar 9, 2024, 12:27 PM IST

A 27-year-old doctor of a civic-run hospital here was allegedly duped of Rs 7.33 lakh by a cyber fraudster who posed as an officer of the Mumbai police, an official said on Saturday.

A case under sections 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating) and 465 (forgery) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act was registered against the unidentified accused last week, the official said. The complainant alleged that she received a phone call from an unknown number on February 29, and the caller identified himself as an employee of a courier company, he said.

The caller informed the woman that the authorities at the Mumbai airport had intercepted a parcel in her name containing five passports, three credit cards, 140 gm of mephedrone pills, clothes and a laptop, the official said.

As per the complaint, the call was allegedly transferred to the cyber police, who questioned the doctor and when she denied knowledge about the parcel, asked her to lodge a police complaint, he said.

The accused, posing as a police official, also initiated a video call with the complainant, during which she noticed the Mumbai police logo, the official said.

During the video call, the doctor was informed that several fake bank accounts had been opened in her name, and the money was used to fund terror activities, he said.

According to the first information report (FIR), the accused also sent the complainant a letter on the letterhead of the deputy commissioner of police (cyber) with a forged signature of Navi Mumbai commissioner Milind Bharambe, and he informed her that she would receive intimation from the Reserve Bank of India.

The complainant received intimation from the RBI from an unknown phone number, which contained a code, and she was directed to deposit Rs 6.8 lakh with the bank so that the authorities could verify all her bank accounts, the official said. The complainant was informed that the money would be returned to her within half an hour, he said.

The doctor transferred the amount to the bank account mentioned in the letter, and the accused again asked her to pay Rs 48,800 for filing affidavits in her name to give her a clean chit, the official said.

When the doctor did not receive the money back, she realised that she had been duped and approached the police, he said.