Pune doctor duped of Rs 28.35 lakh by cyber fraudsters posing as CBI officer

Pune: In a recent case of cyber fraud, a 72-year-old doctor was duped of Rs 28.35 lakh by a fraudster who posed as a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officer and threatened him with arrest for his alleged involvement in money laundering. Fearing arrest, the doctor transferred the large sum to a bank account provided by the fraudster between November 28 and 29.

The incident occurred when the victim, a doctor running his clinic in Mohannagar, Chinchwad, received a call on November 28 from an unknown individual who introduced himself as a CBI officer. The caller claimed that a series of fraudulent transactions, amounting to Rs 1 crore, had been made using the victim’s credit card and that he could face arrest in connection with the money laundering case, the officer said. Realizing he had been duped, the medical practitioner approached the Pimpri police on Saturday and complained to the fraudster.

According to recent media reports, an officer from the Pimpri police told TOI that on November 28, when the victim denied being involved in any illegal transactions, the fraudster shared notices from the Supreme Court and Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the victim's mobile messenger app. "The person then told the victim that he would help him get out of the case and avoid arrest. He demanded Rs 20 lakh from the victim," the investigating officer said.

Police have registered the case and are investigating the matter further. Preliminary inquiries revealed that the money was transferred to a private bank account in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.