Man loses Rs 59 lakh to online scammers who pose as Customs, CBI officials

A man residing in Maharashtra’s Thane city lost Rs 59 lakh as cyber fraudsters coerced him into paying money by posing as Customs and CBI officials and threatening to take action against him for his alleged criminal activities, police said.

The incident took place between November 26 and December 2, they said.

“The victim, 54, received multiple calls from a person who identified himself as a Customs officer from Delhi. He told the victim that a parcel of his had been seized and that drugs were found inside it. The caller claimed that the case was being referred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for further investigation. He instructed the victim to cooperate with the CBI and take another call from them,” an official said.

The victim then received another call – this time from a person claiming to be a CBI officer. He told the victim that his name was found to be linked to serious criminal activities, including human trafficking and money laundering. He was told that in order to resolve the matter and clear his name from the cases, he has to pay Rs 59 lakh, he said.

Scared, the victim transferred the amount into several bank accounts provided by the callers, who continued to pressure him to complete the payments. However, after transferring the money, the victim realised that he had fallen prey to a scam and approached the police to file a complaint, the official said.

Based on his complaint, the Naupada police registered a case under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 318(4) (cheating) and 319(2) (cheating by personation) and relevant sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act.