Thane crime: Retired bank employee loses Rs 3.57 cr after imposter threatens him on video call

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An official on Thursday said that a 74-year-old retired bank employee in Maharashtra's Thane district has been duped of Rs 3.57 crore after being threatened by a fraudster posing as a policeman on a video call, reported news agency PTI.

The victim, a resident of the Ulhasnagar area, recently received a WhatsApp video call from a person who made him talk to another person claiming to be a policeman, reported PTI.

The imposter threatened the victim and made him transfer a sum of Rs 3.57 crore into different bank accounts, the official from Central Police station said while sharing an update on the Thane crime, reported PTI.

The FIR did not specify what threats were issued to the victim.

Based on a complaint by the victim, the police on Tuesday registered an FIR against the unidentified fraudster under section 318(4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and provisions of the Information Technology Act, the official said while sharing an update on the Thane crime.

Ex-ship captain loses Rs 11 crore in cyber fraud; 1 held

A 75-year-old retired ship captain here has lost a staggering Rs 11.16 crore over four months in a cyber fraud scheme falsely promising lucrative returns on stock market investments, police said, reported PTI.

A history sheeter, Kaif Ibrahim Mansuri, has been arrested and police have found 33 debit cards and 12 chequebooks of different banks in his possession in connection with the cyber fraud case, an official said on Wednesday, reported PTI.

The victim, who had a keen interest in stock market investments, was lured by fraudsters with promises of hefty returns on investments in stocks.

Initially, the victim saw profits in his online investment account. However, when he attempted to withdraw his earnings, he was told to pay a 20 per cent service tax fee. Realising he had been scammed, the victim lodged a complaint with the South Cyber police station, the official said.

"Between August and November this year the victim was duped of a staggering Rs 11.16 crore," the police stated, reported PTI.

During the investigation, authorities found that fraudsters had used multiple bank accounts to siphon off the funds. The victim had made 22 transactions, transferring money to these accounts.

Upon tracking two accounts, the police discovered a withdrawal of Rs 6 lakh via cheque by a woman who had provided a PAN card for KYC verification.

When questioned, the woman admitted to withdrawing the money on the instructions of Kaif Ibrahim Mansuri, reported PTI.

Police have arrested Mansuri in south Mumbai, finding him in possession of 33 debit cards linked to 12 different bank accounts, which had been used to transfer Rs 44 lakh from the victim's funds, reported PTI.

Further investigations are underway, officials said.

(With inputs from PTI)