Mumbai Doctor cheated of Rs 9 lakh in fake money laundering case

Mumbai: In yet another cyber fraud case, a 34-year-old doctor was allegedly cheated of Rs 9 lakh in a fake money laundering probe leading the cyber police to register an FIR in connection.

The fraudsters impersonating senior police officials from the Mumbai Cyber Police conned the doctor. They manipulated him into believing that he was implicated in a money laundering investigation and that his bank account was under scrutiny.

It was claimed that the High Court had instructed them to commence an investigation into the money laundering case, and the bank account of the victim had become subject to examination. As a result, the doctor was asked to cooperate with them.

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As per a TOI news report, the scam occurred around 10 am on Tuesday when the victim was at his clinic. An unknown caller, posing as a Cyber Police representative, contacted the victim, citing a fictitious high court order and claiming an inquiry into money laundering involving the victim's bank account.

To make the scam more authentic, the callers asked the doctor to come to the police station to assist with the investigation. The caller informed the doctor that an illegal transaction of Rs 25 lakhs was made from his bank account. The caller even provided the complaint number (MHC1306/2024) for reference but assured him of help if he cooperated.

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.

Scared after hearing about the made-up illegal activities, the doctor agreed to cooperate and transferred Rs 8.89 lakhs online to their bank account. When he realised that he was scammed, it was too late.

Following this, the doctor approached the cyber police and registered a case under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections for cheating, forgery, impersonation, and the Information Technology Act. The unknown fraudsters have been booked and an investigation is underway.

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