HYDERABAD: A 73-year-old retired chief scientist and his wife were digitally “arrested” and duped of Rs 1.34 crore by cybercriminals who impersonated law enforcement officials and created a mock Supreme Court scene to intimidate the couple.
In his complaint, the scientist said he received a call on May 31, allegedly from the Department of Telecommunications. The caller claimed a criminal case had been registered against him with the Ashoka Nagar police in Bengaluru.
The call was transferred to a man posing as a police officer named Sandeep Rao, who said the scientist’s Aadhaar number had been misused by a criminal, Sadakat Khan, arrested at New Delhi airport in connection with human trafficking and cybercrime.
The scientist was then connected to another fraudster posing as a CBI officer, Akash Khulari, who sent forged documents bearing logos of the Supreme Court, Delhi Police and CBI. These included fake reports from the Karnataka Police and fabricated court orders.
Under sustained psychological pressure, the couple was made to believe they faced imminent arrest. The scientist was told to attend a “virtual Supreme Court hearing” and follow protocols such as wearing white and standing when the “chief justice” appeared on a video call. “My wife and I followed these instructions. We were told to remain seated only when he took his seat,” he said in the complaint.
The fraudsters threatened him with charges of money laundering and drug trafficking and asked him to reveal his bank balances for “assessment”. Claiming the money needed to be “verified” by the court’s accountant, they coerced him into transferring Rs 1.34 crore via RTGS, promising it would be refunded after the investigation.
Realising later that he had been conned, the scientist approached friends, who advised him to approach the police. He then filed a complaint with the Rachakonda Cyber Crime police, who have registered a case under relevant sections and launched an investigation.
Fraudsters call the retired chief scientist and his wife by posing as law enforcement and judiciary officials.
The scam began with a call on May 31, allegedly from the Department of Telecommunications, claiming a criminal case had been filed against him.
The call was escalated to impersonators of a police officer and a CBI officer, who alleged misuse of his Aadhaar by a criminal.
The couple received forged documents with Supreme Court and police logos, and were coerced into attending a fake virtual hearing.
They were instructed to follow court-like protocols, including wearing white and standing before a fake “chief justice”.
Under pressure and threats of arrest for money laundering and drug trafficking, they transferred `1.34 crore for “verification”