Digital Deception: Woman Duped by Cyber Fraudsters Posing as Police

A 37-year-old woman from Thane, Maharashtra, was swindled of Rs 2.45 crore by cyber criminals pretending to be police officers. They convinced her to share personal bank details after spinning a complex story involving a parcel to Iran, leading to substantial financial loss.

A 37-year-old woman from Maharashtra's Thane district has fallen victim to an elaborate cyber fraud, losing Rs 2.45 crore. The scammers, masquerading as police officials, duped her by claiming involvement in a phony investigation related to a parcel she allegedly sent to Iran.

The woman, who resides in Ambernath, filed a complaint prompting the authorities to register a case on Thursday under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS). The incident began on September 14 when she received a call from someone pretending to be a courier agency employee. The caller falsely claimed that her parcel to Iran contained prohibited items and had been reported to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

The call was transferred to purported crime branch officials who instructed her to download Skype. On the Skype call, a fraudster presented himself as a deputy commissioner of police (DCP), displaying fake police documents and IDs. Using this guise, they obtained her and her mother's bank details, successfully siphoning off Rs 2.45 crore. A case has been registered against six individuals, with three identified by name and the rest by Skype IDs.

(With inputs from agencies.)