Hyderabad: A woman was allegedly duped of Rs 19.5 lakh in a digital arrest in Hyderabad. She was threatened by cyber fraudsters posing as National Investigation Agency (NIA) officers.
The incident occurred on November 4, when the victim received a call from a cyber fraudster claiming to be a Mumbai police officer. The cyber fraudster informed the victim that her bank account was linked to money laundering worth multiple crores.
The fraudster threatened the victim that she and her family would be arrested if they did not cooperate in the investigation. On November 5, they showed forged ID cards of the Mumbai police on a WhatsApp video call. He said that a case was registered against her, adding that her passport would also be impounded.
Believing him, the victim transferred Rs 50,000. However, on November 6, two more posing as Mumbai police and NIA officials contacted her via WhatsApp voice and video calls.
They showed forged RBI ID cards and fake receipts and asked her to keep the conversation confidential. Tensed, she transferred Rs 2 lakh to them. She even pawned the family gold to raise additional funds.
According to the cybercrime police, by November 10, the victim had transferred Rs 17 lakh. Soon, all communication stopped. Upon realising that she was duped, the woman approached the cybercrime police and filed a complaint.
On November 13, the police registered a case under sections 204, 318(4), 319(2), 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanahita (BNS) and sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the IT Act.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Mohammed Baleegh | 
