Gang exploiting police identities and lingo targets unsuspecting citizens in an elaborate extortion scheme, say police
The first caller had identified herself as Smita Patil from the crime branch. The Vakola have police registered an FIR and have initiated an investigation into the matter. Representation pic
I am Smita Patil speaking from the crime branch, you are a suspect in a money laundering case,” a 32-year-old professional technical consultant, who has been duped of lakhs of rupees, was told by a scammer. The caller had identified herself as Smita Patil, an officer from the Andheri cyber crime cell. The Vakola police have filed an FIR and initiated an investigation into this matter.
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First call on Aug 7
According to the complaint filed by the victim, she received a call from around 6.30 pm on August 7, claiming that a parcel sent from Mumbai to Taiwan had been intercepted by customs after illegal items were found in it. The victim informed the caller that she had not sent any such parcel. Patil instructed the victim to verify all her details, including her Aadhaar card details and mobile number. Patil then informed her that she and her bank account were suspects in a money laundering case. The woman, frightened by the caller’s claims, denied any involvement.
RBI verification sham
Later, the caller instructed the woman that she would receive a phone call from the Skype app as part of a verification process by the RBI. The fake crime branch officer, Smita Patil, sent the victim an identity card and mentioned that DCP Swami would verify her personal information. Subsequently, a person identifying himself as Swami demanded that the woman pay Rs 98,888 via Google Pay for account verification, promising that the amount would be refunded within half an hour. The the woman complied by sending the specified amount.
Later, the caller, who continued impersonating DCP Swami, instructed the woman to transfer Rs 4,04,600 to another bank account and told her that the account belonged to the narcotics bureau and that this amount had to be sent for further verification. Once she sent the money, the caller abruptly ended the call. Despite her attempts to contact the person again, she was unable to reach them. In total, the woman was cheated of around Rs 5 lakh.
Misusing police’s name
Smita Patil and Swami are genuine police officers in the Mumbai police department. Notably, the current deputy commissioner in Circle 12 is Smita Patil, while Dr Swami previously served as the deputy commissioner of police at Zone 12 before being transferred to Zone 8 and currently working in the crime branch. This incident points to a suspected gang that targets unsuspecting citizens by exploiting the names of real policemen and using terms like narcotics, crime branch, and customs to carry out their scams.
Rs 5L
Total amount lost by the victim
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