A 36-year-old female lawyer lost Rs.50,000 in an online scam. The fraudster contacted her on her mobile phone, claiming to be from the Telecom Authority. He informed her that a mobile number registered in her name had been used for money laundering activities.
Under the guise of a confidential inquiry, the fraudster coerced her into removing her clothes, which she followed, and later blackmailed her. She subsequently filed a complaint with the Powai police, leading to the registration of an FIR against two unidentified individuals on September 12 for allegedly cheating.
According to the FIR, the complainant, a female lawyer residing in Sakinaka, Andheri East, received a call on September 11 at 2.46 pm from an unknown mobile number. The caller claimed to be from the Telecom Authority and stated that a mobile number registered in her name had been involved in money laundering activities, and as a result, her active number would be blocked. She informed him that she had done nothing wrong. The caller claimed that an FIR had been registered against her at the Andheri police station.
Subsequently, he told her that if she cooperated with the investigation, he would help clear her name. He requested that she go to an isolated area for a confidential inquiry and not inform anyone about it.
She rented a room in Tunga village, Powai, and travelled there by car. Once in the room, she turned on her laptop as instructed by the fraudster. He told her that in this case, Naresh Goyal was the main accused and that his female associates had identifiable bullet marks on their bodies, so they needed to check these marks on her. Then, a male fraudster told her that a female officer had checked her, and afterwards, a woman appeared posing as an officer. She instructed the lawyer to remove her clothes, and the lawyer complied. During this fake inquiry, the fraudster told her to transfer Rs.50,000, which she sent from her State Bank of India account.
After returning home, she continued to receive messages and WhatsApp calls from the fraudster demanding more money. When she refused to send additional funds, the fraudster sent her half-naked photos and began blackmailing her. Eventually, she confided in her husband and then approached the police.
The Powai police filed an FIR under sections 319(2) (cheating by personation), 318(4) (cheating and dishonesty), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita along with the relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.
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