Pune Woman Loses Rs 19 Lakhs to Cyber Scam Involving Fake Mumbai Police
Pashan, 20th April 2024: A woman from Pune fell victim to a cyber scam, losing Rs 19 lakhs to impostors claiming to be Mumbai police. She received alarming messages alleging her involvement in illegal activities destined for Iran from Mumbai, causing distress and prompting her to act.
This incident occurred online on April 4th, 2024, around 1:40 pm. Following this, a 35-year-old resident of Pashan reported the matter to Chaturshringi Police Station, where a case against unidentified perpetrators has been officially lodged.
The police report reveals that the complainant, while at her office, received a call from an unidentified individual at 1:39 pm. The caller claimed to be from FedEx Mumbai, informing her of a package supposedly addressed to Iran in her name, causing immediate concern. Providing a Skype ID, the caller instructed her to connect to ‘7385 MUMBAI NARCOTICS CELL’ via video call.
During the video call, the woman was shown a bag purportedly containing her name, along with a passport, credit cards, a laptop, clothes, and a substantial amount of Methylenedioxymethamphetamine – MDMA (commonly known as Crystal Meth). The caller, sharing their screen on Skype, alleged that Rs 20 lakhs had been deposited into her account inappropriately and demanded an immediate transfer of Rs 19 lakhs to sort out the situation. Succumbing to the pressure, the woman complied, falling victim to financial fraud orchestrated by a group of individuals.
In response, the Chaturshringi Police Station has registered a case against the unidentified perpetrators under IPC Sections 419 (Punishment for cheating by personation), 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 170 (Personating a public servant), 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), and relevant sections of the Information Technology Act of 2000. Police Inspector (Crime) Yuvraj Nandre of Chaturshringi Police Station is actively investigating this matter.
