West Cyber police registered an FIR on Aug 21 after the victim became suspicious when the scammers demanded more money despite receiving Rs 3.8 crore, which comprised his retirement funds.
Mumbai: A 64-year-old retired bank operations manager from Juhu was allegedly duped of Rs 3.8 crore after scammers posing as Mumbai and Lucknow Anti-Terrorist Squad officers kept him under “digital arrest” for 10 days over purported terrorist funding.
Cyber Fraud Scheme Targets Senior Citizen in Juhu
A senior citizen in Juhu became the target of a sophisticated cyber fraud scheme orchestrated by an individual impersonating Inspector General Vikram Singh. The scammer falsely claimed that Rs 7 crore had been deposited into the victim’s bank account in Jammu & Kashmir, alleging that the funds were linked to terrorist activities in India. According to a cyber police officer from the West Cyber police station, the fraudster asserted that a money-laundering case had been initiated against the victim, who was allegedly implicated following the arrest of a terrorist named Asif Fauji.
In response to the situation, police have frozen approximately Rs 2 crore that had been funneled through 150 bank accounts across multiple states, including several mule accounts. The money was initially transferred to four different accounts before being redirected, and law enforcement is actively engaged in the recovery process.
The scammers also sent a forged letter purportedly from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), claiming that the Supreme Court had issued an arrest warrant for the victim. They instructed him to avoid contacting his family and to remain on continuous video calls to verify his whereabouts. Threats were made against the victim’s family, with promises that the transferred funds would be returned after an inquiry, along with a “Non-Involvement Certificate.” The victim grew suspicious when the scammer continued to demand additional payments, prompting him to consult a banking associate who confirmed that he had been defrauded.
The fraud began at 12.50 pm on Aug 7 when a caller identifying himself as sub-inspector Aakash Sharma from ATS headquarters in Colaba claimed an illegal SIM had been purchased in the victim’s name on July 31 and linked to his Aadhaar card. The victim remained under digital arrest from Aug 7 to Aug 17.
He contacted a bank manager friend, who told him he had been defrauded. In the complaint, the retired bank manager said: “I was informed first from a person claiming to be from Colaba ATS and told that a SIM has been issued in my name. The person asked to contact a WhatsApp number, where another person, identifying himself as inspector Prem Kumar Gautam from Lucknow ATS, claimed my documents had been used to open a bank account in Jammu & Kashmir. ”