MEERUT, June 28 -- A recently retired senior scientist from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Bareilly has been allegedly defrauded of Rs.1.29 crore by cybercriminals impersonating law enforcement officers, police said.

The victim, a researcher originally from West Bengal and residing with his family in government accommodation on the IVRI campus, stated in his complaint that he received a WhatsApp call on June 17 from someone claiming to be a Bengaluru police officer.

Confirming the case, inspector Dinesh Kumar Sharma said an FIR has been registered and efforts are on to trace the accused and freeze the accounts involved.

According to the FIR lodged a week later at the cyber crime police station, the caller claimed th...