‘CBI officer’ defrauds 74-yr-old man of ₹2.8L
MUMBAI: A 74-year-old Mahim resident was duped of ₹2.80 lakh on Sunday by cyber frauds who posed as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers and claimed that his son, who lives in the US, was arrested in a rape case and t he money was required to secure his release. Police said the method adopted to extract money was relatively new, and likely involved the use of pre-recorded messages, usually generic cries for help, to instil fear in the victim.
The Mahim police have registered a case against unidentified frauds based on the 74-year-old’s complaint. They have also managed to freeze ₹1 lakh transferred by the victim to a bank account whose details were provided by the fraudsters.
According to the police, the complainant lives with his wife in Mahim, while his 38-year-oldson works in an engineering firm in Pennsylvania.
“On Sunday morning, at around 9am, the complainant’s wife got a call from a number whose profile picture was that of a policeman. The caller claimed that he was a CBI officer and told the complainant that his son had been arrested in connection with a rape case. He said the son could be freed as he had no direct role in the case, but officials would have to be bribed for that,” said a police officer from Mahim police station.
The complainant tried calling his son, but the call was not answered, likely because it was night in Pennsylvania and he was asleep. Apprehensive of his son’s safety, he decided to pay the ₹80,000 sought by the caller and transferred the money via UPI transactions, said the officer.
Subsequently, the complainant got another call wherein the so-called CBI officer demanded another ₹2.5 lakh. The complainant then called his younger brother and they transferred ₹2 lakh to the given mobile number via two UPI transactions. All the transfers were made between 9am and 11am on Sunday.
The complainant called his son again after his employee suggested the same. This time, the son answered the call and said he was safe at home.
The complainant realised that he had been duped and immediately approached the Mahim police station, where a case was registered against unknown accused under the Information Technology Act and relevant sections of the IPC.
Police said the method adopted to extract money from the complainant was relatively new. “Most people targeted in such cases are those whose sons are either working or studying in foreign countries,” said a police officer.
In most such cases, frauds use a pre-recorded message wherein a person is seen/ heard crying for help. “The frauds make sure that the voice is not very clear and there is disturbance,” said the police officer.