Mumbai doctor swindled of Rs 7.33 lakh by cyber fraudster posing as a cop

A 27-year-old doctor working at a civic-run hospital in Mumbai fell prey to a computer scam and lost Rs 7.33 lakh to a fraudster impersonating a Mumbai police officer, an official revealed on Saturday.

Authorities filed a complaint against the unidentified perpetrator last week under sections 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating), and 465 (forgery) of the Indian Penal Code, as well as pertinent provisions of the Information Technology Act, reported PTI. 

According to the report, Dr Blessy Esther, a senior doctor at KEM Hospital, filed a complaint alleging that she received a call from an unusual number on February 29. The caller, posing as a courier business employee, informed her that a parcel intended for her had been impounded at the Mumbai airport. The shipment allegedly included five passports, three credit cards, 140 grams of mephedrone pills, clothing, and a laptop.

The call was then transferred to someone purporting to be from the cyber police, who grilled Dr Esther and told her to submit a police report after denying knowledge of the parcel. During a following video chat, the fraudster, posing as a police officer, presented the Mumbai police emblem and briefed the doctor about putative fraudulent bank accounts made in her name and allegedly used to fund terrorist activities, the report added. 

Furthermore, the fraudster sent Dr Esther a letter purporting to be from the deputy commissioner of police (cyber), which had the falsified signature of Navi Mumbai commissioner Milind Bharambe. The letter stated that she needed to put Rs 6.8 lakh into a bank account for verification, promising a refund within 30 minutes. The doctor then transferred the cash as advised. However, she was forced to spend an additional Rs 48,800 to file affidavits to cleanse her identity.

When the promised payment did not arrive, Dr Esther contacted the authorities and filed a criminal report. An inquiry into the incident is ongoing, PTI further reported.

Meanwhile, in another incident, police in Navi Mumbai booked three persons and two firms for allegedly defrauding a man of Rs 45 lakhs through online share trading scam. The accused have been identified as Aarav, Kunal, Bimla, a customer care executive from a securities firm, and a website, an official told PTI. 

According to the report, the victim, aged 49, is a resident of Nerul and stated in his complaint that the accused had lured him into investing Rs 44.72 lakh between February 5 and March 3 of this year.