Doctor duped of Rs 9 lakh in money laundering probe fraud

MUMBAI: Cyber frauds impersonating senior police officials from the Mumbai Cyber Police claimed that his bank account was under scrutiny for money laundering case, conned a doctor of Rs 9 lakhs on Tuesday, And to make the call look genuine, the gang member gave a case reference number and used the name of a popular retired senior police officer to intimidate the victim.
The 34-year-old doctor has lodged an FIR with the Antop Hill police, and both the Crime Branch and the Cyber Police are conducting a parallel investigation. Police have booked the unknown persons under the IPC sections for cheating, forgery, impersonation, and the Information Technology Act. The incident occurred around 10 am on Tuesday when the victim, who was at his clinic, received a call from an unknown person claiming to be from the Cyber Police. The caller stated that, as per a high court order, they had initiated an inquiry into a money laundering case, and the victim's bank account had come under scrutiny. The caller instructed the victim to come to the police station to assist with the investigation.
The victim told police that the caller's manner of speaking left no room for suspicion. He even provided a complaint number (MHC1306/2024) for reference, which scared the victim. He was informed that a transaction of Rs 25 lakhs had been made from his bank account, which was illegal. The caller assured the victim of his innocence and offered help to clear his name on the condition that he cooperated.
The scammer guided the victim on how to respond if his boss (a senior officer) called him. Shortly after, the victim received another call from someone claiming to be a senior police officer, who offered to remove the victim's name from the investigation in exchange for a payment of a few lakhs. The caller instructed the victim to immediately transfer Rs 10 lakhs, promising to ensure that he would be given a clean chit. The victim transferred Rs 8.89 lakhs online before realizing that he had been scammed.