Navi Mumbai man duped of Rs 46 lakh by fraudsters posing as cyber police

A 47-year-old Navi Mumbai man was allegedly duped of Rs 46 lakh by fraudsters posing as officials from the Mumbai cyber police, who threatened to register a case of money laundering and drugs against him, police said on Friday, reported news agency PTI.

The police on Thursday registered a case under section 420 (cheating) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act against four persons, an official told PTI.

As per the complaint, the accused allegedly posed as officials of the Mumbai cyber police and contacted the Navi Mumbai man, a resident of Nerul, on WhatsApp, claiming that they had received a complaint of money laundering and drugs against him, he said.

The accused demanded money from the complainant to avoid a police case, and he transferred Rs 46 lakh to different bank accounts between April 10 and 15, the official told PTI.

No arrests have been made so far, and a probe has been initiated, he said. 

In another case, a sum of Rs 35.12 lakh that a businessman lost to online fraudsters has been recovered, a Mumbai police official told PTI on Thursday.

The victim, a resident of south Mumbai, had alerted police immediately, which allowed the cyber cell of the Crime Branch to act swiftly, he added.

“Fraudsters posing as police and Income Tax department personnel duped the businessman of Rs 35.12 lakh after telling him there was a parcel in his name, which had led them to some unauthorised transactions done by him,” the official told PTI.

“After he was forced the transfer the amount, the businessman sensed something amiss and immediately alerted police on its cyber helpline 1930. The bank`s nodal officer was contacted and the money was recovered,” he said.

Meanwhile, a man from Maharashtra`s Palghar allegedly lost Rs 15.8 lakh to cyber fraudsters on an online gaming application, police said on Friday, reported PTI.

Based on a complaint, the police on Wednesday registered a case under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act, an official said.

The complainant has alleged that the accused contacted him in December last year and lured him to play an online game assuring him of lucrative returns, he said, reported PTI.

The complainant played the game with Rs 15.8 lakh but did not get any returns and could not contact the accused. He soon realised he had been cheated and approached the police, the official said.

(With inputs from PTI)