HYDERABAD: The Telangana State Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) has registered a case against a cybercriminal for attempting to extort money from a 61-year-old businessman by impersonating Home Secretary Ravi Gupta on WhatsApp.
According to the complaint, the victim received a WhatsApp voice call on June 19 from a +92 series number, typically associated with Pakistan. The caller ID displayed the name “CBI Vikram” with the display picture of Ravi Gupta, the current home secretary of Telangana.
The call lasted nearly eight minutes. A woman, claiming to be from cybercrime authorities in Canada, informed the businessman that his daughter had been arrested in a drug-related case. When he requested to speak to her, the caller refused, claiming she was undergoing third-degree interrogation, and even played background sounds of people crying to make the threat seem real.
The caller then demanded Rs 50,000 for the daughter’s release and shared a PhonePe number for the transfer. “I asked to speak with my daughter, but she kept threatening me. I almost believed her and thought of sending the money,” the complainant said. He eventually disconnected the call and contacted his daughter in Canada, who confirmed she was safe at home.
Realising it was a scam, he reported the incident to the police. A case was registered under Section 66-D of the IT Act and Sections 308(3), 318(4), 319(2) and 338 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).