Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A retired Indian Naval officer was duped of Rs 68 lakh by cyber scamsters. The accused gang members posed as employee of a courier company and and senior cops of Mumbai crime branch to trap the victim.
According to information, Ramlakhedi Manoj Bhurariya (55)-- retired from the position of Principal Director at the Delhi headquarters of Indian Navy, was duped of Rs 68 lakh. The Mumbai Crime Branch received a complaint from Bhurariya, alleging that he was initially threatened through a phishing Skype ID. Subsequently, he received threats of a non-bailable warrant and house arrest via a video call, leading to an extortion Rs 68 lakh.
The Cyber Crime Police have registered a case of fraud based on Bhurariya's complaint, and investigations are underway to apprehend the culprits.
How scamsters laid web via Skype?
The complaint said that Bhurariya, received a call on January 25 from a person introducing himself as Harish Nayak, an employee of FedEx Mumbai office. The caller informed Bhurariya that a parcel had been sent from Mumbai to Taiwan using his Aadhaar ID, containing 200 grams of MDMA drug.
Bhurariya denied sending any such parcel and was advised by the caller to file a complaint with the Cyber Crime Unit. Following this, Nayak connected Bhurariya with one of his gang members who posed as Inspector Prakash Kumar of the Narcotics Mumbai Crime Branch.
Kumar suggested Bhurariya to download Skype to establish contact with the Mumbai branch through a video call.
The fake inspector communicated with Bhurariya through Skype, cautioning him to stay alone in a room and refrain from discussing the matter with anyone due to mobile surveillance. An agreement was made on WhatsApp, stating that if Bhurariya cooperated, a non-bailable warrant would not be issued until the investigation was completed.
Fake DCP Takes Bhuriya Into Confidence
On January 29th, another member of the gang comes in. He introduced himself as the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of Cyber Crime IPS Baal Singh Rajput. He contacted Bhuriya through a Skype video call and told him that his Aadhaar number had been linked to former legislator Mohammad Nawab Malik who is accused in a money laundering case.
Demanded Transfer Of Rs 68 lakh Via Forged RBI Letter
As part of the money laundering investigation, Bhurariya was requested to provide bank statements of six months.
The imposters sent him a forged letter with the seal of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), asking him to transfer 49% of the amount in question through RTGS, Bhurariya said. The letter further assured that the amount would be refunded after the investigation.
On January 31, Bhurariya received a call from the WhatsApp number displaying a photo of the DCP but did not receive any communication since then. The caller had directed Bhurariya to transfer Rs. 68.49 lakh through RTGS into three bank accounts on January 31, February 2, and February 7.
Further details, including Bhurariya's wife's Aadhaar and bank account information, were also requested, with assurances of a refund. However, Bhurariya has not received any follow-up communication through Skype or WhatsApp since then. Mumbai Crime Branch is currently investigating this identity theft and money laundering case.
