Cybercrooks pose as CBI, dupe retd man of 35L in digital arrest fraud

Pune: Cybercrooks impersonated officials of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to dupe a retired bank official (74) from Pimpri of Rs35 lakh in a ‘digital arrest' fraud last month.The victim on Friday lodged a complaint with the Sant Tukaramnagar police.
Senior inspector Gorakh Kumbhar of the Sant Tukaramnagar police told TOI that the victim is a resident of Pimpri. After his retirement, the victim practised as a lawyer. On Jan 22, he received a call from an unknown number. The caller told the victim that he was a CBI officer and claimed that a bank account in the victim's name was found in a public sector bank during action by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The caller told the victim that the same bank account was used in a money laundering case in which a businessman was arrested.Kumbhar said the caller assured the victim that if he helped the investigating agency by transferring the money, the agency would verify it and return immediately, and he might not face arrest. "Believing him, the elderly man transferred Rs 35 lakh to a bank account number provided to him and lost it to the crooks," Kumbhar said.When the victim did not get his money back, he became suspicious and informed his family members. "We have registered a case under the relevant sections of the Information and Technology Act. Our investigations are on," Kumbhar said.