Elderly woman loses 72 lakh in online fraud

Thiruvananthapuram: A 72-year-old Kudappanakunnu-based woman has lost Rs 75 lakh in online fraud. The woman who was contacted by a person claiming to be RBI officer. He told her that her credit card was blocked due to security reasons. Later, another person claiming to be a CBI officer stated that a money laundering case was registered against her. The fraudsters kept her under ‘virtual arrest'.The woman, who was residing alone, panicked as the accused contacted her via video call. They shared the FIR of the fake case and also some documents claiming to be from the Supreme Court of India and RBI. During the online ‘interrogation', the accused compelled her to share all her bank credentials, claiming it to be part of the probe. Soon, they transferred the amount to their accounts. She was promised that the amount would be transferred back to her account . However, the accused soon went absconding with the money.City cyber police registered a case on her complaint under sections of BNS 318 (4) for cheating, 319 (2) for cheating by personation, 308 (2) for extortion, 336 (2) for forgery, 336 (3) for forgery for the purpose of cheating, 340 (2) for fraudulent use of a forged document, and 338 for forgery of a valuable security or will, and section 66 (D) of the Information Technology Act."The fraud took place on Aug 23 of this year, and there was a delay in registering the case. The woman trusted the promise made by the accused that the money would be returned to her accounts. In the meantime, the accused withdrew the money and transferred it to other accounts," said police.