New Delhi: An 88-year-old woman from Sarita Vihar in southeast Delhi was allegedly duped of Rs 78 lakh after scammers kept her under digital arrest for around 10 days and claimed that her bank accounts were linked to a money laundering case.
The woman lives alone, while her children reside elsewhere. She received a call around 5:30 pm on August 24. The callers allegedly told her that a money laundering case had been registered in connection with her bank accounts.
The accused allegedly showed her images purportedly depicting conversations involving several people, including a senior judicial official. They then told her that they could help her avoid legal action and protect her family from the alleged case.
According to the complaint, the scammers kept the woman under continuous surveillance and instructed her to report to them every hour. She was also allegedly asked to keep her phone camera switched on throughout the night.
The accused reportedly used multiple mobile numbers and WhatsApp calls to communicate with her. They also allegedly made her download a social media application for further communication.
Following their instructions, the woman transferred Rs 51 lakh from one of her bank accounts on September 1. The following day, she transferred another Rs 27 lakh through RTGS from a second account.
The scammers allegedly instructed her to delete WhatsApp messages containing details of her bank accounts and transactions and warned her against informing anyone about the matter.
The fraud came to light on September 2 when the woman’s elder daughter received an email notification from a bank regarding the Rs 27 lakh RTGS transaction. Her son-in-law, who lives in Gurgaon, subsequently visited her residence, and the family then learnt about the alleged fraud.
The woman reported the matter on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP), following which a complaint was registered on September 2. Her daughter also filed a complaint on her behalf.
Police said the accused continued calling the woman until September 4, but she stopped responding to their calls.
The Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of Delhi Police conducted an inquiry into the case. Based on the inquiry, an FIR was registered under Sections 318(4), 319, 340 and 63(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to cheating, impersonation, offences involving forged documents or electronic records, and criminal conspiracy.
The investigation is underway.
