Hyderabad: The Cyberabad police said they had recovered Rs 2.23 crore from fraudsters in 44 cases, where individual victims had lost funds ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 12 lakh.
Among the victims was Sanjay Kumar, who owns a cellphone repair shop. He lost Rs 2.92 lakh, which he had borrowed, to an investment scam. He said that in the early days he got good returns but later realised that his bank account had been emptied.
Police recovered the Rs 12 lakh that Kavitha, a techie from Madhapur, had lost to a ‘courier scam.’ She recalled that a person had told her a parcel addressed to her was full of drugs. She was asked for her credentials to establish that she was not the addressee. The scamsters used the data to take away money. “My family's financial status was fragile, and this pushed me into further hardship. We were struggling to make ends meet,” she said adding that the recovery of the money was a second beginning for her.
Cyber Security Bureau SP Viswajit Kampati said filing the petition under Section 457 of the CrPC helps the police secure a court order for the refund of the seized amount based on the findings during the investigation. After receiving the court order, the investigating officer ensures that the refunded amount is returned to the victims' accounts.
