Jet Airways Angle Used to Con Retired Doctor of Rupees 2.89 Crore in Digital Detention Fraud

Mumbai: In a recent cyber fraud case, a 70-year-old retired doctor from Mumbai was duped of Rs 2.89 crore in a digital detention scam. The fraudsters, posing as government officials, reportedly convinced her that she was implicated in a money laundering investigation.

According to the cyber police, the scam began on May 28, when the victim received a call from a man who identified himself as Amit Kumar from the Department of Telecommunications. He claimed that a new SIM card had been fraudulently obtained using her Aadhaar credentials, and that an FIR had been registered against her.

Shortly after, she received a WhatsApp message from someone claiming to be from the Cyber Crime Department, Mumbai, demanding her identity documents for verification. The deception escalated with a WhatsApp video call from a person impersonating IPS officer Samadhan Pawar from the Mumbai Crime Branch. The call reportedly lasted nearly 14 hours.

During the video call, the fraudster accused the doctor of involvement in a money laundering case allegedly connected to businessman and founder of Jet Airways,  Naresh Goyal. He claimed that a raid on Goyal’s residence uncovered a bank account and debit card issued in her name. Despite her insistence that she had no connection to the case, the caller warned her that even a single rupee from illegal funds could land her in jail for three years.