Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) [India], January 8 (HBTV): A 59-year-old inspector posted at the BSF Academy in Tekanpur, Gwalior district, was duped of over INR 70 lakh after being subjected to a 'digital arrest' for nearly a month, a police officer said on Tuesday.
The cyber fraudsters posed as officials of the Mumbai Cyber Crime Wing and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), extorting money from the BSF officer through various transactions in December, starting from December 2.
According to the FIR, the victim reported that he was defrauded of INR 70,29,990 by unknown individuals who threatened both him and his family with arrest while pretending to be officers of the cyber crime wing.
Superintendent of Police (SP, Gwalior) Dharmaveer Singh told ANI, 'The victim is a BSF officer posted as an Inspector at BSF Academy Tekanpur. A complaint was lodged at Crime Branch Gwalior on Monday. The victim stated that he received a call from the fraudsters on December 2 and was informed that ED and the Mumbai Crime Branch were investigating his fake accounts. They also threatened him with the arrest of his family members in connection with the same.'
Under pressure, the BSF officer made several financial transfers to the fraudsters throughout December. He even traveled to Lucknow after taking leave and transferred money to them from there, SP Singh added.
'Based on the complaint, a case has been registered, and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the case. Details of all the bank accounts involved in the transactions have been collected, and the team is actively working on the case,' the SP stated.
During the period of the fraud, the victim refrained from informing his senior officers, colleagues, or family members. However, when his son later learned of the incident, it was reported to the police. Prompt action led to the registration of an FIR, and further proceedings are underway, SP Dharmaveer Singh added. (ANI)