An 83-year-old retired Army colonel in Bengaluru lost Rs 56.05 lakh after scammers impersonating Mumbai police officers threatened him with arrest, according to an FIR filed at the Central CEN crime police station on November 18.
The man received a call on October 27 from someone identifying himself as Inspector Sanjay Pishe, who claimed a SIM card issued in the colonel’s name had been used to abuse the public.
Unable to travel to Mumbai for an inquiry, he was put on a video call with a woman identifying herself as senior officer Kavita Pomane, and later with another caller named Vishwas, who said he was a higher official.
The group told him the inquiry would be conducted online and allegedly extracted personal, family and banking details while warning him not to tell anyone.
They also demanded his live location every three hours and asked him to share bank details on WhatsApp for “RBI verification,” the FIR said.
Believing them, the complainant shared details of four bank accounts and, on their instructions, transferred Rs 6 lakh and Rs 5 lakh from his bank account to another account as specified by the fraudsters.
Later, he was directed to liquidate his mutual funds and other investments. He then transferred another Rs 35.05 lakh from his bank accounts and Rs 10 lakh more to the same bank account specified by the fraudsters.
When he sought a refund, the impostors claimed that RBI was verifying the funds and would return the money within three days.
Based on the victim's complaint, a case was registered under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act and section 318(4) (Cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, police said, adding that further investigation is underway. PTI AMP ROH
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