
In Short
- Fraudsters posed as Mumbai Crime Branch officials
- Cybercrime police freezes Rs 25 lakh, investigation ongoing
- Stolen money reportedly moved across several bank accounts in 4 states
In a case of cyber fraud, two non-resident Indian (NRI) sisters identified as Suman Kakkar and Vinay Thapliyal, who came to visit India were duped of nearly Rs 1.9 crore in Lucknow.
The scammers allegedly "digitally arrested" the sisters, threatening to implicate them in a money laundering case.
Claiming that their bank accounts had been used for terrorist transactions, the fraudsters forced the sisters into transferring the hefty sum under the pretext of avoiding a life sentence.
The two victims, both Canadian citizens, were in India on a visit. The scammers posed as officers of the Mumbai Crime Branch and intimidated the sisters through a video call. A case has been registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station in Lucknow, and investigators have managed to freeze Rs 25 lakh from the transferred amount.
The stolen money was reportedly moved across several bank accounts in four different states. The cybercrime police are currently investigating the case to trace the culprits and recover the remaining amount.
In recent days, there have been many cases of "digital arrest". One such case involved a former Miss India winner.
Shivankita Dixit, winner of Femina Miss India 2017, became a victim of cyber fraud when scammers, impersonating Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers, "digitally arrested" her for nearly two hours and coerced her into transferring Rs 99,000.
Residing in Agra with her family, Shivankita received a call from someone claiming to be a CBI officer. The caller accused her of being involved in money laundering and human trafficking, alleging that her HDFC Bank account was linked to serious crimes, including child kidnapping and robbery.
The fraudsters demanded Rs 2.5 lakh, threatening her with arrest if she failed to comply. Under immense pressure, Shivankita Dixit transferred Rs 99,000, the maximum amount allowed by her account limit.
In another case, a 76-year-old doctor from Pune's Pimpri-Chinchwad, lost Rs 28 lakh to fraudsters impersonating Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers.