Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh): BJP MLA Sarla Rawat's niece and nephew from Morena were duped of ₹70, 000 on Monday.
According to information, the MLA herself unknowingly provided the scammer with their phone numbers. The scam began when an unknown person called the MLA's phone, which was answered by her PSO (Personal Security Officer). The caller claimed to be the manager of the State Bank of India’s Sabalgarh branch and mentioned vacancies at the bank. The PSO relayed this information to the MLA, who then instructed the PSO to share her niece and nephew’s numbers with the scammer.
The scammer contacted the nephew and niece, posing as the bank manager, and instructed them to follow his directions. The nephew was swindled out of ₹45,000, and the niece lost ₹25,000. An FIR was lodged at the Belgarh police station on Monday after the scam was discovered.
Ajay Rawat, a resident of Mastura and nephew of MLA Sarla Rawat, explained that he received a call from the same number that had called his aunt. The caller, pretending to be the SBI manager, took Ajay’s documents and instructed him to transfer ₹25,000, followed by another ₹20,000.
Similarly, Ajay’s cousin, Kamini, was also duped of ₹25,000 in two installments. When the scammer demanded more money, Ajay informed his aunt, who investigated and found that the number did not belong to the SBI manager.
SDOP Bhitarwar Jitendra Nagaich stated that the police are actively working to apprehend the culprits. The numbers used by the scammers were traced to Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, and are currently under surveillance.
