63-year-old retired senior bank clerk from Navi Mumbai loses Rs 27 lakh in digital arrest fraud by fake NIA official

Navi Mumbai: A 63-year-old retired senior bank clerk from Khopoli, Raigad, was defrauded of Rs 26.4 lakh by a gang of cyber fraudsters, one of them posing as a National Investigation Agency (NIA) official, between Feb 11 and March 5.Sachin Hire, a senior inspector from Khopoli, stated that the fake cop contacted the complainant on WhatsApp on Feb 11 and placed him under ‘digital arrest' by claiming that a mobile SIM card was taken in his name and obscene messages were sent from that SIM number. The caller even sent the complainant photos of documents claiming his involvement in the fraud case related to a banned outfit. The complainant was made to share his bank account details, claiming that it was necessitated for the RBI to verify his banking transactions for the allegations of his involvement in the fraud case.Hire said, "The complainant kept on receiving WhatsApp and video calls from different numbers of the cyber fraudster gang until March 5, and during this period, he was made to break his fixed deposit and transfer the money, including his retirement pension savings, to two bank accounts provided by the caller. The caller assured the complainant that the money he transferred was refunded to his bank accounts after RBI gave him a clean chit. But the caller became incommunicado as his mobile was continuously switched off. Realising that he was cheated, the complainant registered an FIR at Khopoli police station on Tuesday."Acting on a complaint by the victim, Khopoli police booked the unidentified caller and the two bank account holders whose accounts the complainant was made to transfer the money to. The accused were booked under relevant sections of BNS, along with the Information Technology Act for the criminal offence of cheating by impersonation using computer resources or communication devices.