Delhi Cardiologist loses over Rs 6 lakh to cyber fraudster

New Delhi: In a recent case of cyber fraud, a senior cardiologist at Apollo Hospital in South Delhi was defrauded of more than Rs 6.69 lakh by a man posing as an Army Cantonment official.

According to reports, the accused contacted the doctor, claiming to arrange medical consultations for 25 defence personnel at Rs 1,500 each and persuaded him to transfer Rs 6.69 lakh in four instalments from his and his wife's bank accounts.

The accused, 33-year-old Jalaluddin alias Jallu, hailing from Rajasthan's Alwar, has at least seven cases of cheating and forgery registered against him across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan, they said. Based on digital surveillance, he was tracked down to Rajasthan and subsequently arrested.

Jalaluddin posed as an Army official, even making video calls with pre-recorded visuals of defence personnel to win the victim's trust. Once convinced, the victims were induced to transfer funds, which were then diverted to settle the accused's personal liabilities.

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"The doctor from Apollo Hospital had received a call on August 30 from a man introducing himself as an Army official," Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Ankit Chauhan said in a statement.

He claimed to be arranging medical consultations for 25 Army personnel at Rs 1,500 each and persuaded the complainant to transfer Rs 6.69 lakh in four instalments from his and his wife's bank accounts, the DCP said.

Investigators later found that the accused used Rs 6 lakh of the cheated money to repay a car loan and diverted another Rs 70,000 to settle credit card dues. A car purchased with the proceeds of the crime, three mobile phones, and Rs 70,000 frozen in a fixed deposit linked to credit card settlement were recovered, police said.

The recovered mobile phones were linked to at least 26 other complaints registered on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP).

"The team worked on all available aspects of the cases and technical analysis of digital footprints and call records traced the accused to Alwar in Rajasthan. Immediately, a team was dispatched and through technical analysis and surveillance, the accused's location was zeroed down at Khairthal, Alwar, Rajasthan," he added.

Police said further investigation is underway.

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