Mumbai: A 25-year-old IIT Mumbai student fell victim to a digital fraud scam, losing Rs.7.29 lakh to cybercriminals who falsely accused her of being involved in 17 money laundering cases. The scammers intimidated her into compliance, keeping her under virtual house arrest for nearly 24 hours. The Powai police registered an FIR against unidentified individuals on November 25.
According to the FIR, the student, Bhaviya Bhargava, hails from Ghaziabad but resides in an IIT Bombay hostel in Powai for her education. She holds an account in a national bank in Powai. On November 24, at 11.01 a.m., she received a call from an unidentified mobile number.
The caller posed as an officer from a government telecom company, alleging that 17 complaints linked to her Aadhaar and PAN card were registered against her. The scammer instructed her that she should obtain a clearance certificate to deactivate her mobile number and transferred the call to a supposed Cyber Branch officer.
The scammers then asked for her Aadhaar number, bank details, and other personal information, which she provided. They also showed her a fabricated complaint letter, leaving her frightened. To resolve the alleged issue, she was coerced into transferring Rs.29,500 to the scammer’s account.
Later, she received a video call from an individual posing as a Superintendent of Police and claiming to be a CBI officer. The fake officer threatened to implicate her in a money laundering case and demanded her cooperation.
Overcome with fear, Bhargava followed the instructions, providing scanned copies of her bank documents. The scammers used this information to withdraw Rs.7 lakh from her account. She was also instructed to stay confined in her room until noon on November 25, under the pretense of verifying her documents.
When she did not receive any further communication, Bhargava contacted her bank and discovered she had been defrauded. She then approached the Powai Police Station, where an FIR was registered under sections 318(4) (cheating and dishonesty) and 319(2) (cheating by personation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita along with relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act.
