A 77-year-old retired teacher from Mahim got swindled of ₹76.50 lakh by cyber frauds pretending to be officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), as per the police. This peculiar case involved the culprits persuading the victim to meet them in person and hand over the cash. The Central Cyber Police launched a case against unidentified individuals for extortion and forgery on Tuesday, marking it as an unprecedented incident where the cyber scammers physically collected the money.
“This is a weird case where the cyber crooks actually showed up to grab the cash, which is not something they usually do to avoid getting caught,” remarked a police officer. The fraudulent activities transpired over a span of six months, beginning in October 2024 when the complainant started receiving calls from a person claiming to be a TRAI officer from Delhi. The imposter alleged that the victim’s mobile number, PAN card, and Aadhaar card were involved in illicit money transactions. Subsequently, another scammer joined the conversation, asserting that the CBI was investigating the matter and insinuating potential troubles for the victim’s daughters. A third con artist, masquerading as the well-known IPS officer Navjot Simi, probed the victim about her family members and the funds in her bank accounts.
On November 15, the complainant transferred ₹13 lakh via RTGS to various bank accounts provided by ‘Simi’. In January 2025, ‘Simi’ contacted the victim again, claiming difficulties in closing the case and demanding a bank transfer of ₹1 crore to expedite the process. The accused assured that the amount would be reimbursed the following day after an audit. When the elderly citizen expressed inability to arrange such a hefty sum, the fraudster instructed her to gather ₹65 lakh by February for ‘verification’. Moreover, she mentioned that a police representative would personally collect the cash.
“The fraudsters bombarded the victim with WhatsApp video calls and regular calls daily, instilling fear in her. Consequently, she emptied her savings, broke her fixed deposits, and even withdrew money from her Demat accounts to accumulate ₹63.5 lakh,” disclosed the officer. On February 5, the victim was instructed to meet near the MHADA office in Kalanagar and engage in a video call as proof of being alone. A slender, masked woman aged between 35 and 40 years approached the victim, seized the bag containing cash, and swiftly departed.
The following day, the complainant received a text message assuring the return of the cash post verification. “On March 27, ‘Simi’ informed the victim of her transfer to another location, confirming the completion of an audit and closure of the case. She assured the victim of the cash refund by April 5,” narrated the officer. However, when the refund did not materialize, the victim attempted to contact ‘Simi’ to no avail. Sensing something amiss, she confided in her daughter, who unveiled the deception.
“Not really sure why this matters, but this is a peculiar case where the cyber frauds actually showed up to collect the cash, which they typically avoid to evade arrest,” commented the police officer. The Central Cyber Police initiated legal action against unidentified individuals under sections 308(2) (extortion), 318(4) (cheating), 319(2) (cheating by personation), 336(2) (forgery), and 204 (personating a public servant) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
In conclusion, the elderly teacher fell victim to a sophisticated cyber scam orchestrated by imposters posing as government officials, resulting in a substantial financial loss.
