Mumbai: In yet another case of cyber fraud, a 28-year-old city resident lost over ₹11 lakh to scammers posing as law enforcement officials. The fraudsters called the victim, informing him that a courier had been intercepted from China containing multiple passports, a laptop, and 150 grams of MDMA (a banned drug), and sent him three forged letters of the case being probed.
The fraudsters used a well-coordinated scheme, impersonating officers from the CBI, Enforcement Directorate, and Mumbai Cyber Crime, tricking him into transferring his savings to fraudulent bank accounts.
The incident began when the victim, who works for a corporate company in Worli, received a call from an unknown number claiming to be from the Mumbai Post Office. The caller, a woman identifying herself as Neha Sharma, alleged that a suspicious parcel in his name had been intercepted. According to her, the package contained six passports, multiple ATM cards, a laptop, and 150 grams of MDMA. The victim initially denied it was his parcel, and despite denying any involvement, the caller transferred the call to a so-called “cyber crime officer,” further escalating the pressure.
Later, he received a WhatsApp video call from a number allegedly belonging to a senior police officer. On the call, a man in a police uniform warned him that he was a suspect in a money laundering case linked to top businessman, whose alleged associates had already been arrested. To make the fraud appear legitimate, the scammers sent him three fake official letters, bearing the names of law enforcement agencies and seals.
Fearing arrest, the victim was then connected to another fraudster posing as an IPS officer named Bal Singh Rajput. This “officer” convinced him that his bank accounts needed to be “verified” as part of an ongoing investigation.
Under pressure, the victim was instructed to share his bank details and transfer all funds to an “escrow account” for verification. First, he broke a ₹5 lakh Fixed Deposit (FD) at Canara Bank, later he transferred ₹99,000 to a Bandhan Bank account, and eventually, he sent the remaining ₹10 lakh to a Federal Bank account. After transferring ₹11 lakh, he realised that he was duped. An officer said he later blocked the scammer’s number and immediately reported the fraud to the Cyber Helpline (1930) and Mumbai Police.
The Sion police have registered a case and are investigating the bank accounts used for fraud. The police have urged citizens to remain vigilant and to never transfer money or share bank details under pressure. “No govt agency or police officer will ever ask for money transfers as part of an investigation. If you receive such calls, hang up immediately and report them,” the police advisory states.
Mumbai: In yet another case of cyber fraud, a 28-year-old city resident lost over ₹11 lakh to scammers posing as law enforcement officials. The fraudsters called the victim, informing him that a courier had been intercepted from China containing multiple passports, a laptop, and 150 grams of MDMA (a banned drug), and sent him three forged letters of the case being probed.
The fraudsters used a well-coordinated scheme, impersonating officers from the CBI, Enforcement Directorate, and Mumbai Cyber Crime, tricking him into transferring his savings to fraudulent bank accounts.
The incident began when the victim, who works for a corporate company in Worli, received a call from an unknown number claiming to be from the Mumbai Post Office. The caller, a woman identifying herself as Neha Sharma, alleged that a suspicious parcel in his name had been intercepted. According to her, the package contained six passports, multiple ATM cards, a laptop, and 150 grams of MDMA. The victim initially denied it was his parcel, and despite denying any involvement, the caller transferred the call to a so-called “cyber crime officer,” further escalating the pressure.
Later, he received a WhatsApp video call from a number allegedly belonging to a senior police officer. On the call, a man in a police uniform warned him that he was a suspect in a money laundering case linked to top businessman, whose alleged associates had already been arrested. To make the fraud appear legitimate, the scammers sent him three fake official letters, bearing the names of law enforcement agencies and seals.
Fearing arrest, the victim was then connected to another fraudster posing as an IPS officer named Bal Singh Rajput. This “officer” convinced him that his bank accounts needed to be “verified” as part of an ongoing investigation.
Under pressure, the victim was instructed to share his bank details and transfer all funds to an “escrow account” for verification. First, he broke a ₹5 lakh Fixed Deposit (FD) at Canara Bank, later he transferred ₹99,000 to a Bandhan Bank account, and eventually, he sent the remaining ₹10 lakh to a Federal Bank account. After transferring ₹11 lakh, he realised that he was duped. An officer said he later blocked the scammer’s number and immediately reported the fraud to the Cyber Helpline (1930) and Mumbai Police.
The Sion police have registered a case and are investigating the bank accounts used for fraud. The police have urged citizens to remain vigilant and to never transfer money or share bank details under pressure. “No govt agency or police officer will ever ask for money transfers as part of an investigation. If you receive such calls, hang up immediately and report them,” the police advisory states.