Cyber con posing as cop defrauds bizman of ₹5 lakh

Lucknow: Cyber scammers posing as Mumbai police crime branch officer and courier agents allegedly duped a Gorakhpur businessman of Rs 5 lakh, police said.
The victim, Vivek (name changed) has lodged a complaint with the UP police cyber cell alleging that he got a call from an unidentified number wherein the caller informed him that a parcel from Canada has arrived bearing his address, said the police.
“Minutes later, I got another call where the caller identified himself as an officer from the Mumbai Police crime branch and told me that the parcel had stacks of currency notes in it,” said the accused in his complaint.
"The fraudster -- Bhupendra Nagar— said he was with Colaba police in Mumbai police commissionerate and a money laundering case will be registered against me. When I pleaded innocence, he got me connected to one Deepak Raj Singh, who claimed himself to be a public prosecutor. He assured me of getting a bail in lieu of money,” said Ashish.
He added that the fake public prosecutor then started extorted money on pretext of bond, security money and asked to deposit the same in different banks.
“After paying a sum of Rs 5 lakh, I shared my plight with one of my acquaintances who told me to verify the facts. I checked with Mumbai police who told me that no such person works in the department. Then I realised that I have been duped,” he said.
Cyber Cell SP Triveni Singh said an FIR under charges of extortion (384), punishment for cheating (419), cheating (420) of the IPC has been lodged and a probe was on.
Senior cyber cell official said the scammers are devising new ways to con innocent people.
“This is the first time a gullible person has been conned on the pretext of a fake FIR,” they said.