Posing as CBI officials, fraudsters extort Rs.20L from vet varsity prof
Ludhiana, July 19 -- A senior professor at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) fell prey to a cyber scam involving fabricated "digital arrest" after fraudsters posing as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials extorted Rs.20 lakh from him.
The victim was allegedly coerced into transferring the money to cybercriminals who claimed that his name had emerged in a human trafficking case. The fraudsters told him that two men arrested by the CBI had identified him as an accomplice, and an arrest warrant had been issued against him.
The scam began on July 2 when the victim received a call from a fraudster claiming to be a CBI officer based in Bengaluru. To make the claim appear authentic, the caller made a video call while dressed in an official uniform, with a CBI logo in the background.
According to the complainant, the entire set-up appeared genuine during the call. The victim, fearing arrest, was coerced into transferring Rs.10 lakh into a bank account on July 3 under the guise of avoiding physical arrest. The professor did not inform his family initially as he had been warned by the fraudsters to maintain silence or face immediate arrest. However, when he transferred another Rs.10 lakh from a joint account he shares with his wife on July 15, she noticed the transaction and questioned him.
The victims wife, an advocate, found the situation suspicious and immediately consulted a police official known to her. The officer, pointing to digital arrest, confirmed that there is no such legal concept. A formal complaint was then lodged at the cyber crime police station.
Based on the complaint, police registered an FIR under Sections 318(4) (cheating) and 319(2) (cheating by personation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against unidentified persons.
Inspector Satvir Singh of the cyber crime police station stated, "The professor was threatened with arrest and was made to believe he could avoid it by staying under digital arrest and paying Rs.10 lakh. The accused manipulated him psychologically and convinced him through fake official visuals."
Police are now investigating the case and working to trace the account holders who received the funds.
"We are in the process of obtaining bank details and suspect that multiple mule accounts may have been used," the inspector added....
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