Mumbai: Despite the security agencies’ awareness campaign against cyber fraud, especially digital bust, people tend to fall prey to its pitfalls. A 78-year-old housewife, the sister-in-law of a reputed builder in South Mumbai, became the latest victim of cyber fraud. The fraudsters posed as a Special Investigation Team of the Delhi Special Police under the threat of being investigated for money laundering after a courier landed in her name containing 2,000 mg of mephedrone and cash of US$2,000 dollars, they extorted Rs 1.51 crore through online transactions.
On December 5, the septuagenarian sought the help of a courier company to send food items to her daughter in the US. The next day, she received a call from a man who identified himself as Amit Kumar, reportedly an employee of a courier company. He alleged that a parcel in her name, which allegedly contained illegal items, was intercepted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in Delhi.
The caller claimed that the package contained her Aadhaar card, expired passports, SBI credit cards and contraband items including 2,000 mg of MDMA drugs and $2,000 in cash. They further implicated her in a money laundering case, naming individuals such as Mohammad Nawab Malik and Jaffar Siddiqui as co-conspirators.
In subsequent calls, other individuals – posing as police officers and Cyber Crime Branch and Finance Department officials – pressured the victim and threatened her with arrest and legal action. “To add legitimacy to their scam, the fraudsters made video calls appearing to be police officers and presented fake arrest warrants and investigation reports on her WhatsApp,” an officer said.
Terrified and under enormous psychological pressure, the victim was forced to share her personal bank details. Over the course of a few days, she transferred ₹1.51 crore to the fraudsters’ accounts, believing this was necessary to ‘safeguard’ her assets during the investigation. It was only during a general conversation with her close relative that she realized she had fallen victim to the cyber fraud and decided to bring it to the attention of the police. She immediately reported the incident to the Cybercrime Police Helpline in 1930, where her complaint was registered, and the case was transferred to the South Cyber Cell of the Mumbai Police.
An official overseeing the investigations said the fraudsters operated through multiple bank accounts and siphoned off the money as soon as they transferred it. Authorities suspect that a well-organized cybercrime syndicate is behind the scam and have started tracing the accounts and phone numbers of the beneficiaries used in the operation.
Cybercrime experts have reiterated the importance of vigilance against such scams, especially targeting the elderly. They urge citizens to verify the authenticity of caller claims, avoid sharing sensitive information and report suspicious activity immediately.
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