Amravati: Cybercriminals are exploiting technology to devise new forms of fraud, and a serious case has recently emerged in Amravati city. A retired bank officer, Sanjay Tukaram Meshram (60), resident of Navi Vasti, Badnera, was duped of Rs 31.5 lakh after being trapped through obscene message allegations and fake money laundering cases in a cybercrime known as ‘digital arrest.’
Meshram received a video call from an unknown number on social media, with the caller impersonating a police officer, on September 17, as reported by Loksatta. The caller informed Meshram that a case had been registered against him at the Gandhinagar police station in Bangalore for sending obscene messages to a woman, frightening him.
The impersonator escalated the situation by alleging that 155 illegal transactions had been made from Meshram’s bank account and accused him of large-scale money laundering, with the CBI and RBI monitoring the case.
Claiming to have ‘digitally arrested’ Meshram, the fake officer ordered him to stay home and follow instructions, warning of frozen bank accounts. Believing the accusations, Meshram complied, depositing Rs 31.5 lakh into accounts provided by the fraudsters in instalments via RTGS and IMPS.
Despite the payments, the demands for money continued until Meshram realised he was being scammed, according to report. He then reported the incident to the cyber police station, providing all details of the fraud.
50-Year-Old BEST Conductor Loses ₹6.83 Lakh After Falling For Fake Bank App Scam
In another incident, a 50-year-old BEST conductor was defrauded of Rs 6.83 lakh in a cyber scam after falling victim to fraudsters impersonating bank officials under the guise of updating his KYC details. The incident took place in Wadala and is currently being investigated by the Rafi Ahmed Kidwai (RAK) Marg Police.
According to police reports, Sandeep Arvind Kamerkar, a senior bus conductor with the BEST Undertaking’s Traffic Planning Department in Wadala (West), lives with his family in the Suparibaug BEST staff quarters located in Parel (East). On August 13, while at work, Kamerkar received a call from an unknown number. The caller claimed to be an employee of Bank of India and informed him that his bank's KYC (Know Your Customer) details were not updated.
Kamerkar initially declined to share the OTP sent to his phone, saying he would update his KYC details personally. However, the scammer kept the conversation going and later sent him a malicious link through WhatsApp. When Kamerkar clicked the link, it directed him to a fake app that closely resembled the official Bank of India mobile application.
