Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh): A Deputy Collector in Madhya Pradesh was cheated of nearly ₹3 lakh by fraudsters who promised to reduce punishment in a departmental inquiry.
The victim was named as Arvind Singh Mahaur, a resident of New Ashok Colony under Thatipur police station limits in Gwalior, is currently posted in Sabalgarh of Morena district.
He told the police that around 8:17 pm, he received a call from an unknown number, which he did not answer.
Later, the caller contacted the District Collector, falsely claiming to be from the CM Portal office and complained that the Deputy Collector was not responding.
On the Collector’s instructions, the Deputy Collector later received a call from another number, which appeared on Truecaller as ‘CM Portal Ashwini.’
Trusting the call due to the reference to the Collector, he answered it. The caller introduced himself as a CM Office employee and claimed that a ‘contribution’ was required to reduce the punishment in an ongoing departmental action.
Believing the caller, the Deputy Collector transferred ₹2.95 lakh in installments through online wallets and bank accounts to different numbers. Despite this, the accused continued demanding more money, which raised suspicion.
After making his own inquiries, the Deputy Collector found that no person named Ashwini works in the CM Office. When he asked for his money back, the caller stopped responding.
Following the incident, Mahaur immediately lodged an e-zero FIR through the cyber helpline number 1930.
The complaint was forwarded via CCTNS to Thatipur police station, where a case of cyber fraud was registered on Saturday and an investigation was initiated.
Confirming the case, ASP Anu Beniwal said that under the state’s e-zero FIR campaign, the matter was registered at Thatipur police station.
Initial investigation shows that a government officer was cheated of ₹2.95 lakh by someone posing as a government official.
It is noteworthy that the complainant is currently under suspension in a separate matter.
