Pune: A 75-year-old retired man from Wadgaon Sheri has lodged a complaint with Chandannagar police alleging that online fraudsters posing as police officers from Nashik cheated him of Rs 19.20 lakh by threatening to arrest him in a money laundering case.
The fraud took place between Aug 26 and Sept 14 this year, police said. The suspects made a video call to the complainant on Aug 26, according to Chandannagar police.
The suspects, who were wearing police uniforms, claimed to be officers of Nashik police and told him that Enforcement Directorate (ED) had lodged a complaint with the police.
Allegations of Coercion in Money Laundering Case
Recent reports indicate that suspects in a money laundering investigation have been threatening a man with arrest. They claimed that his potential arrest would bring shame to his family. In a subsequent conversation, the suspects offered to resolve the case if he agreed to pay them a sum of money.
After obtaining details of the complainant’s bank account, they claimed that it had been used to fund activities of a banned terrorist organisation,” said a police officer. “The suspects claimed that during its investigation into a money laundering case, the ED had found a bank account belonging to the complainant. They then allegedly forced him to share his bank account details.