Dr Reddy's Foils Email Spoofing Scam, Rs 2.16 Cr Recovered by Bengaluru Police
Bengaluru: Bengaluru City Police have dismantled an international email spoofing racket and recovered Rs 2.16 crore that had been fraudulently diverted from a pharmaceutical company through a cyber fraud operation. The swift intervention by the police during the crucial "golden hour" ensured that the entire amount was secured before it could be siphoned off further.
The fraud was detected after Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd, a Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical major with operations in Bengaluru, noticed that a large payment meant for one of its vendors had been transferred to an unauthorised bank account. The company immediately alerted the Central Crime Branch (CCB) cybercrime unit, prompting a rapid investigation.
Preliminary findings revealed that the fraudsters had created a spoofed email address closely resembling the official email ID of Keshava Group Pharmaceuticals, a business associate of Dr Reddy’s. Using this forged email, the criminals sent payment instructions that appeared legitimate, leading the company’s accounts department to transfer ₹2.16 crore to a mule account based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
Realising the discrepancy shortly after the transaction, company officials contacted the police without delay. Cybercrime investigators quickly traced the funds to a Bank of Baroda account held in the name of a consultancy firm. Acting promptly, the police coordinated with the bank to freeze the account within an hour, preventing any withdrawal or onward transfer of the money.
Further investigation indicated that the email spoofing operation was being orchestrated from outside India, with digital trails pointing towards Nigeria. Authorities also found that the Ahmedabad account had been opened using forged identity documents of a 57-year-old woman, whose role in the case is currently under investigation.
A city court later issued orders permitting the release of the frozen funds, following which the entire ₹2.16 crore was returned to Dr Reddy’s Laboratories. Police officials highlighted the importance of swift reporting in cyber fraud cases, noting that immediate action was key to recovering the money.
According to a recent Deccan Herald report, investigators cautioned that corporate email spoofing has emerged as a major cybercrime threat, as official email IDs are often publicly available, making large companies frequent targets of such frauds.
Police stated that efforts are ongoing to identify and apprehend the international operators behind the racket, while urging organisations to strengthen email security protocols and verification mechanisms to prevent similar incidents in the future.
