KOCHI: A 77-year-old retired college professor in Kochi lost Rs 1.19 crore to cyber fraudsters who impersonated Mumbai cyber cell officers. Based on the professor’s complaint, the Elamakkara police have registered a case and launched an investigation.
Police said after receiving Rs 60 lakh from the sale of a property last week, the victim was contacted by someone claiming to be from an international courier firm on July 21. The caller informed him that a parcel sent in his name from Mumbai to Bangkok had been intercepted with narcotic substances including MDMA.
The call was then ‘transferred’ to someone claiming to be from the Mumbai cyber police. The person, who introduced himself as Cyber Cell Inspector Vijay Paul, told the professor that he had been virtually arrested and warned him not to disconnect the call or speak to anyone else. The caller began interrogating the professor, accusing him of using his bank account to launder drug money.
Though the professor explained that the Rs 60 lakh was from a property sale, the fraudsters said they didn’t believe his version.
Claiming the funds needed to be ‘verified,’ the fraudsters convinced him to transfer the entire Rs 60 lakh, promising it would be returned after the investigation.
Believing them to be real cyber police officers, the professor transferred Rs 60 lakh to the account of a Santosh the same day. The fraudsters then demanded that the remaining amount in his bank accounts should also be transferred.
The victim transferred Rs 28 lakh and Rs 15 lakh on July 23 and 25, respectively, to an Abhi Vishwakarma’s account. Rs 20,000 was transferred to the bank account of a Deep Singh. On July 28, the victim transferred Rs 15.85 lakh to Santosh’s account.
When the fraudsters asked for more money, the professor approached his brother for a loan. The brother, who was aware of the earlier property deal, questioned the need for more funds. Suspicious, the brother sent his son to the professor’s house. At the house, the son came to know about the cyber fraud incident and told the victim about similar fraud incidents.