A 61-year-old retired BARC senior technician was allegedly duped of ₹24.80 lakh by cyber fraudsters posing as CID officials, police said. The accused allegedly threatened him with a money-laundering case through WhatsApp calls and fake documents. The victim transferred money to bank accounts provided by the fraudsters before approaching the cybercrime helpline.

Mumbai Cyber Fraud: Retired BARC Technician Loses ₹24.80 Lakh After Fraudsters Pose As CID, Police Officials | AI

Mumbai: A 61-year-old retired senior technician from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) was allegedly duped of Rs24.80 lakh by cyber fraudsters who posed as Crime Investigation Department (CID) officials and threatened him with a money-laundering case, police said.

Victim Receives Fake CID Call

According to the FIR, the complainant, Vinayak Baburao Gaikwad, who retired from BARC on August 31, lives with his family in the Anushaktinagar BARC Colony. On September 10, he received a WhatsApp voice call from an unknown number. The caller introduced himself as Sandeep Rao and claimed to be calling from the CID.

Rao allegedly told Gaikwad that a mobile SIM card had been issued in his name and that a bank account had been opened at Canara Bank in Nashik, through which transactions worth Rs2 crore had taken place. When Gaikwad said he had not visited Nashik for two years, the caller allegedly claimed that an accused person had mentioned his name during a police investigation.

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Fake Police Officer Joins Video Call

The fraudsters subsequently connected Gaikwad to another person identifying himself as Pradeep Jaiswal, who allegedly appeared on a WhatsApp video call with a Mumbai Police logo in the background. Jaiswal reportedly told Gaikwad that an arrest warrant had been issued against him and asked him to cooperate with the investigation.

Between September 12 and 15, the accused allegedly kept Gaikwad under constant surveillance through WhatsApp calls, instructing him to remain at home, avoid contacting local police or other people, and provide regular updates about his activities. They also allegedly sent him a purported Enforcement Directorate (ED) notice to further frighten him.

₹24.80 Lakh Demanded For ‘Case Settlement’

The accused then allegedly demanded Rs24.80 lakh, claiming the money was required to help him come out of the case.

On September 16, Gaikwad was allegedly told to keep his phone charged as his interrogation would continue for two to three hours. Rao reportedly connected him to Jaiswal, who then allegedly connected the call to a person posing as senior police officer Vishwas Nangare Patil.

The impersonator allegedly sent Gaikwad a photograph of Nangare Patil’s police identity card over WhatsApp and instructed him to transfer money to bank accounts provided during the call. Gaikwad reportedly transferred money to two accounts, including accounts in the names of Lifeline Alkaline and Gram Construction OPC Private Limited.

The following day, Rao allegedly informed Gaikwad that he had been cleared of the allegations and that an official order would be sent to him on WhatsApp by evening. When the order did not arrive, Gaikwad realised that he had been cheated and contacted the 1930 cybercrime helpline.

The Eastern Region Cyber police have registered a case against unidentified persons and are investigating the matter.

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