Mumbai News: Retired Civilian Defense Employee Duped For ₹6.9 Lakh By Fraudster Posing As Customs Official

A retired Civilian Defense employee was duped for Rs. 6.9 lakhs by a fraudster posing as a customs officer. 

A retired 73-year-old lady named Chobi Kurup, who runs a security agency called Group 7 guards pvt ltd, received a call from an unknown person claiming to be an officer from Delhi Airport customs and asking if she had sent any parcels from Delhi to Cambodia.

When the victim denied it, the fake customs officer informed her that they had received a parcel containing 170 gram MD, 8 passports, 5 credit cards, and Rs 45000 cash. They also asked her to come to Delhi within the next three hours.

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When she refused to visit Delhi, the caller transferred the video call to a hotline number, where one individual identified himself as an IPS officer named SK Jaiswal. He told her over the phone that she had been charged with kidnapping, money laundering, and drug trafficking. 

He also informed her that he has contacts in the RBI and asked her to visit the nearest HDFC bank for verification. Meanwhile, the fraudster did not end the call and instructed her not to inform anyone.

Later, the fraudster informed her that the charge sheet for the case had already been filed in the Delhi court and sent her a notice with Justice Vidyaprakash's signature and a court stamp.

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In a state of panic, the complainant transfers Rs. 6.9 lakhs to an SBI bank account, after which the fake officer instructs her to call the incorrect toll-free number to recover the funds.

When the victim realized it was a cyber scam, she immediately informed her family members and filed an online report. 

The case was filed at Colaba police station under Sections 66(C) and (D) of the 2000 Information Technology Act.