Mumbai: Cybercriminals posing as government officials allegedly defrauded Rs7.68 lakh from a 61-year-old retired professor by threatening him with a fabricated “digital arrest” in connection with a money-laundering case involving businessman Naresh Goyal. The shocking incident has been reported from Chembur, and the Nehru Nagar police have registered an FIR against unidentified persons and begun further investigation.
According to the FIR, the complainant, Dr. Sunny Thomas Fernandes, a retired professor from St. Andrew’s College, Bandra (West), lives alone on rent at Vatsalatai Naik Nagar, Chembur. He maintains savings accounts with Union Bank of India, Hill Road branch, and Central Bank of India, Khernagar branch.
On November 2, at around 2:16 pm, he received a call from an unknown mobile number. The caller, claiming to be from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), told Dr. Fernandes that illegal messages were being sent from his mobile number. When he denied this, the caller sent him a copy of an FIR via WhatsApp, falsely showing Fernandes’ name and another mobile number. Seeing his name on the fake document, the retired professor panicked.
Shortly afterward, another caller claiming to be from the cybercrime office accused him of financial dealings linked to money laundering with Naresh Goyal. A third caller, identifying himself as “investigating officer Sandeep Rao,” instructed Fernandes to send hourly WhatsApp messages saying “I am safe sir, Jai Hind, Good morning,” warning him that the case was “related to national security” and that he must not disclose the matter to anyone.
Terrified, Dr. Fernandes followed the instructions from November 2 to November 14. On November 14, during a WhatsApp video call, the scammers questioned him about his investments. Believing the callers to be genuine officials, he disclosed the details. They then sent him various UPI IDs, forcing him to transfer a total of Rs7,68,994 under the pretext of “verification” of his funds.
On November 25, scammers again video-called him, this time showing a person dressed as a police officer and another posing as a judge. A crying woman was also shown in the frame to create fear. The fake judge asked him personal questions and told him he must pay a Rs25-lakh “bail bond.” When Fernandes said he could not arrange such an amount, suspicion finally arose.
He then contacted his former student, Liaas Koya, a Customs officer, who informed him that no such concept as “digital arrest” exists and that he had been a victim of cyber-fraud. Following this, Dr. Fernandes approached the Nehru Nagar police station and also filed an online complaint through the 1930 cyber-fraud helpline.
Police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act, and the Information Technology (IT) Act, against the owners of the mobile numbers and bank accounts used in the scam. The investigation is ongoing.
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