Octogenarian Falls for Cyber Fraud, Loses Rs 2.8 Crore

Hyderabad: An 85-year-old from Secunderabad fell victim to a cyber-fraud to the tune of Rs 2.8 crore.

The octogenarian had in the first week of August received a call whereupon the caller disclosed the victim’s name and Aadhaar card details and accused him of being involved in a Rs 300-crore scam and that he had received Rs 68 crore as his share.

Giving the 85-year-old no time to think or respond, the caller connected the victim to one Rakesh Shinde who claimed to be a CBI officer. The alleged officer had a CBI ID card, the complainant stated.

In no time, a ‘prosecutor’ Raja Ram came into the picture and told the victim that he would go through all the transactions along with RBI officials. The victim, who was already shaken by the call, was worried that he would end up in jail. The caller threatened him against revealing anything about the case or the transactions, lest he face severe punishment.

The victim did not inform anyone in the family and transferred around Rs 2.58 crore from his bank account to two bank accounts that the callers had given. The victim sent another Rs 30 lakh from his account in another bank.

A day later, the victim discussed the issue with his wife. She suggested that he talk to their financial adviser, who tried to procure the location of the fraudsters by talking to them but they escaped.

A case was eventually registered with the cybercrime police, which launched an investigation.