Fraudsters posing as Mum police, CBI officers dupe pvt worker of Rs 7 lakh

Hyderabad: Fraudsters posing as Mumbai police and CBI officers extorted a little over Rs 7 lakh from a 48-year-old private worker from Saidabad in a money laundering case on Jan 21.On his complaint, Hyderabad cybercrime police registered a case on Thursday.According to the complainant, he received a call from an unknown person on Jan 19. The caller claimed to be a Mumbai crime branch officer and connected him via WhatsApp video call to another fraudster in a police uniform, who introduced himself as SI Rajesh Mishra. They informed the victim that a SIM card had been fraudulently obtained in his name using his Aadhaar card, and the SIM was used to circulate obscene photographs and videos.The gang also alleged that a bank account was opened in his name using the Aadhaar and SIM card, and that Rs 4.9 crore in money-laundering proceeds had been routed to his account. Threatening immediate arrest and property seizure, the fraudsters compelled the victim to transfer the money in his account for verification.Under pressure, the victim liquidated his fixed deposits and on Jan 21 transferred a little over Rs 7 lakh to the bank account of an event management company in Bengaluru. When the promised refund did not materialise, the victim consulted his family and realised the fraud.Based on his complaint, Hyderabad cybercrime police booked a case under Sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act and sections 111(2)(b) (organised crime), 308(2) (extortion), 318(4) (cheating), 319(2) (cheating by personation), 336(3) (forgery for cheatin), 338 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc.) and 340(2) (Using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) of the BNS.