An 84-year-old businessman from South Mumbai fell victim to a cyber fraud scheme, losing Rs 20 lakh after being deceived by scammers posing as senior officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The fraudsters threatened him with a digital arrest in connection with a money laundering case, which led him to comply with their demands.
According to police reports, the elderly man, who operates a company specializing in automobile spare parts, resides in South Mumbai with his 74-year-old wife. On April 5 of the previous year, he received a call around 10:44 AM from an unknown number. The caller introduced himself as Sunil Kumar Gautam and claimed to be affiliated with the CBI office in Delhi.
During the call, the fraudster alleged that an account was being operated in the businessman’s name at a private bank in Delhi using his Aadhaar card and that transactions amounting to Rs 5,000 crore had taken place. To further intimidate him, the caller sent a document labeled ‘CBI Consent to Terms of Confidentiality Agreement’ via WhatsApp.
This document falsely stated that an FIR had been filed against him and implicated his account in a money laundering investigation involving an individual named Sandeep Kumar. The caller warned him that this was a “national secret” and threatened him with “digital arrest.”
The businessman subsequently engaged in a video call with the fraudsters, during which they presented another document, purportedly an ‘RBI order’ titled ‘Submitting Assets for Law Enforcement Inspection.’ This document directed him to deposit Rs 20 lakh into a designated bank account.
Feeling pressured and fearful, he immediately went to his nearest bank branch and transferred the requested amount while remaining on the phone with the fraudsters. After completing the transaction, they instructed him to check in with them every two hours before abruptly disconnecting.
It wasn’t until later that month, after discussing his situation with a relative, that he realized he had been scammed. Following this revelation, he filed a complaint with the police. After several months of preliminary investigations, authorities registered a case last week under relevant sections of cheating, forgery, and impersonation as outlined in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the IT Act.
This incident highlights the increasing prevalence of cyber fraud targeting vulnerable individuals through sophisticated scams that exploit their fears and trust in official institutions.
