A 75-year-old retired Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) employee from Hadapsar was allegedly cheated of ₹ 8 lakh by cyber fraudsters who posed as Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officials and threatened to arrest him in a fake money laundering case, police said.
The daughter suspected that her father was being targeted by cyber fraudsters and approached the police. The Hadapsar police have registered a case against unidentified persons and are investigating the transactions and bank accounts used to receive the money.
They threatened him with arrest and kept him engaged in video calls, creating fear that he would be taken into custody. The accused allegedly sent fabricated documents, including an arrest warrant, to make their claims appear genuine. The fraud came to light when the accused allegedly demanded more money from the victim.
The fraudsters further claimed that the victim had received a commission of ₹ 22 lakh from the alleged illegal transactions. Between September 9 and September 16, the victim transferred ₹ 8,00,042 in four transactions to separate bank accounts.
They then told the victim that he could avoid arrest by transferring money to bank accounts specified by them. When he told them that he had exhausted his funds, they obtained his daughter’s contact details and approached her, asking her to arrange the money.
“The case is another example of cybercriminals using the threat of arrest and fabricated legal proceedings to target senior citizens.
The investigation is underway,” said senior police inspector Hemant Patil of Hadapsar police station.
