Ludhiana, Aug. 14 -- A farmer from Machhiwara was scammed out of Rs.2.65 crore by fraudsters pretending to be officials from the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The conmen used threats and intimidation, telling the victim he was involved in a major financial scandal, and convinced him to transfer the large sum of money to multiple bank accounts.

The victim, Mahinder Singh, reported to the police that on the night of June 9, he received a call from a person claiming to be a Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) employee. This caller alleged that during a CBI and ED raid on the residence of a prominent airline owner, 247 ATM cards and Rs.58 crore in cash were seized, and that one of the cards was linked to a fake bank account in Mahin...