Fake Terror probe call tricks retired doctor into losing Rs 2.2 crore

Hyderabad: In a shocking cyber fraud case, a 70-year-old retired doctor from Srinagar Colony allegedly lost Rs 2.2 crore after falling victim to fraudsters who pretended to be IPS officers and NIA Director General Sadanand Date in a fake terror-related case. 

According to the police, the fraudsters threatened the doctor with arrest, claiming she would be jailed in a criminal case for allegedly being linked to terrorists if she didn’t transfer the money for investigation. At the same time, they assured her that the amount would be returned after verification, but it was a fake promise. 

The scam began on May 27 when the victim received a call from a man claiming to be ‘Prem Kumar Gautam, IPS’. He falsely accused her of being linked to a terror case in Lucknow and of being involved in money laundering.

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Terrified, the doctor then got a video call on WhatsApp from another fraudster who pretended to be the Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Sadanand Date. He told her that her contact number, along with 17 photos of army officers and seven ATM cards, was recovered during the arrest of terrorists.

He warned her that the investigation had national security implications and, therefore, she was instructed not to disclose the matter to anyone. However, to clear her name from the case, the fraudsters claimed that they needed money for investigation purposes. 

Speaking to TOI, the woman in her complaint said, "The fraudsters convinced me that I was being treated as a suspect and demanded that I transfer my bank funds for investigation purposes, promising to return the money after verification."

The scammers further tricked the victim by sending a fake notarised acknowledgement, which appeared to be signed by a judge from the Tees Hazari Court in Delhi, to make the case seem real. 

Believing them, the doctor transferred the money to various bank accounts provided by the fraudsters between May 29 and May 31. After investing the money, the doctor realised that she was duped since she did not get the money back, and the fraudsters were demanding more money. 

Following this, she informed her brother about the incident, who advised her to approach the police. On his advice, she lodged a police complaint on Monday. Based on the compliant, the police registered a case under sections 111(2)(b) (organised crime), 308(2) (extortion), 318(4) (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 319(2) (cheating by personation), 336(3) (forgery for purpose of cheating), 338 (forgery of valuable security, will etc), 340(2) (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) of the BNS and sections 66-C, 66-D of the IT Act. Police are analysing the bank transaction details to identify the accused.

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