Ahmedabad Pharma Firm Duped of Rs 50 Lakh in Email Spoofing Fraud
Cyber Crime
Ahmedabad: An Ahmedabad-based pharmaceutical company has fallen victim to a sophisticated email fraud, losing nearly Rs 50 lakh after cybercriminals impersonated a trusted business partner and diverted payments to a fraudulent bank account.
According to a complaint registered by the city’s cybercrime police, the fraud involved Troikaa Pharmaceuticals Ltd, where Rs 49.8 lakh was siphoned off through manipulated email communication. The complaint was filed by Utpal Dixit, a 55-year-old general manager at the company.
The incident unfolded between February 10 and March 17, when the company received emails appearing to be from BRD Medilabs Unit II, a Himachal Pradesh-based pharmaceutical firm with which it had maintained a long-standing business relationship of over a decade.
The fraudsters allegedly sent an email requesting payment of Rs 50.56 lakh, followed by another message instructing the company to transfer the funds to a different bank account. Believing the communication to be genuine, the company transferred Rs 33 lakh on February 17 and an additional Rs 16.7 lakh on March 12.
To maintain credibility, the accused also sent confirmation emails acknowledging receipt of the payments. However, the scam came to light on March 15 when BRD Medilabs denied receiving any such payments and clarified that it had not issued any request to change bank account details.
Subsequent internal investigation revealed that cybercriminals had inserted a fake email address into the existing email thread, effectively impersonating officials from BRD Medilabs. The fraudsters also shared forged documents, including fake bank details, a counterfeit cancelled cheque, and fabricated supplier communication, to mislead the company.
Following the discovery, a case of cheating and forgery has been registered against unidentified individuals under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita along with sections of the Information Technology Act. The Times of India reports that the authorities have launched an investigation to trace the perpetrators involved in the cyber fraud.
