Pune: 70-Year-Old Industrialist Loses Rs 95 Lakh To Fraudsters Who Threatened Arrest By ED
Pune, 12th June 2024: A 70-year-old industrialist from Pune fell victim to cyber fraud after receiving a threatening call claiming to be from the ‘Telecom Department,’ warning him of imminent disconnection. What followed was a harrowing series of deceptions and threats, including the specter of arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), resulting in a staggering loss of Rs 95 lakh.
Since January this year, Pune City police have recorded 41 cases where citizens were duped under the guise of power, phone, or gas disconnections. Victims either received direct calls from fraudsters posing as departmental officers or encountered Interactive Voice Response (IVR) calls.
In the most recent incident, the complainant, a manufacturing company’s head, received a call in early May from an individual impersonating a Telecom Department official. Directed to contact ‘Lucknow police,’ he complied, only to speak to someone claiming to be a senior IPS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre.
This ‘officer’ alleged that the complainant’s account flagged by the Enforcement Directorate for receiving Rs 95 lakh from international drug trade commissions. Despite vehement denials, the complainant was sent a fraudulent letter from the ED, threatening arrest unless cooperation was provided.
Under duress, the complainant divulged bank account details and company operations, subsequently coerced into transferring Rs 95 lakh across 15 transactions. Allegedly for audits, the funds were purportedly moved to government accounts, until the victim realized the deceit.
A probe by Pune’s cybercrime police station is underway. Senior Inspector Suresh Shinde emphasized the need for vigilance, advising citizens to confide in family or friends when faced with such threats to prevent the loss of savings.
