HYDERABAD: An 80-year-old retired lecturer lost Rs 25 lakh after fraudsters kept him under digital arrest for over 15 days by posing as Mumbai Cyber Crime police and government officials.
The victim told police that he received five WhatsApp video calls on October 16 from a person claiming that his Aadhaar number had been used to open a bank account linked to money laundering and terror funding. He was falsely implicated in the case and sent a purported arrest letter linking him to the Popular Front of India (PFI).
The fraudsters instructed him to send WhatsApp messages every two hours confirming that he was safe. This continued until November 7. They also repeatedly video-called him and monitored his movements, warning him against answering other calls.
On November 2, they sent him a purported SEBI letter bearing his name and Aadhaar number, directing him to sell all his shares as part of the investigation. Fearing arrest, the victim sold his shares and received Rs 25,14,985.89 in his bank account.
The fraudsters subsequently asked him to transfer the money to a fake Reserve Bank of India (RBI) account for verification, assuring him that it would be returned within three days if he was found innocent.
On November 5, the victim transferred Rs 25 lakh to the account provided by the fraudsters while remaining on a video call with them. A day later, they demanded another Rs 50 lakh, but he realised that it was a fraud and approached police.