Hyderabad: A 79-year-old resident of Domalguda, Hyderabad, lost Rs 35.74 lakh to a cyber fraudster who impersonated a CBI officer.
According to the police, the man received a call on July 6 from an individual claiming to be Vijay Khanna, a CBI officer calling from Colaba Police Station. The fraudster falsely alleged that a bank account in the victim’s name at Canara Bank’s Colaba branch was involved in a money laundering case connected to an accused named Naresh Goel.
The caller intimidated the victim by claiming the investigation was being conducted under the orders of the Supreme Court of India, even sharing forged documents like court orders and CBI warrants (FIR No. MH/15621/0225) to gain trust.
The victim was warned not to disclose the matter to anyone, citing national security and the involvement of high-profile individuals. Manipulated by fear and deception, the victim disclosed his bank account details and was instructed to transfer his funds for “verification,” with a false promise that the amount would be returned.
“Over the course of ten days, the victim transferred a total of Rs 35,74,094 to accounts provided by the fraudsters. Another person, posing as Ayush Gupta, Investigation Officer, also pressured the victim into making the transfers,” said the Cybercrime police.
Eventually, after being falsely assured that his name was cleared from the suspect list and instructed to collect his money from the nearest crime branch, the victim approached the Cybercrime Police Station in Hyderabad and realized he had been defrauded.
