A retired senior executive of a multinational Germany-based pharma firm was forced to pay Rs 85 lakh by a gang that posed to be CBI, customs, narcotics, and income-tax officers- all on Skype in Visakhapatnam.Police action initiated A police case has been registered in Andhra Pradeshs Visakhapatnam and Delhi too. The gang took the money by cheque and transferred it to a company called Rana Garments which operated an HDFC account in Delhis Uttam Nagar. Later the gang transferred the money from the HDFC account to 105 accounts across the country. A complaint has also been filed by HDFC Banks Uttam Nagar branch over the alleged fraudery. The police are investigating the matter and have said that it has got some leads into the matter. A distressed 57-year-old retired associate general manager of a Germany-based pharma firm with wide operations in India had taken voluntary retirement as he needed time to prepare his son to send him to college abroad. He said that he had received the retirement settlement on May 2 and his sons visa appointment was on May 17. But on May 14, he was duped by the gang into sending Rs 85 lakh that they had said would be returned after checking his records. The retired officer has alleged the involvement of some insiders in the bank in Visakhapatnam. He said that the men knew every detail regarding his bank account including the amount he had received after his retirement. He was instructed by the gang to visit the nearest HDFC bank and drop the cheque there. The Crime Branch has taken cognisance of the matter and has also inquired the bank officials in connection with the case. The police inquiry revealed that there was no company like Rana Garments. When police went to the companys address, they found that the place was occupied by some other company and the owner of the alleged company was untraceable. How did the impersonator dupe the retired officerAs per the FIR, after the credit of his retirement savings, he received a call from a man who identified himself as DCP Cyber Crime Balsing Rajput. He said that the officers name had come up in several narcotics and money laundering cases and his Aadhaar was linked to all these cases. The fraudster then called another person who pretended to be his senior and scared him by saying that they would file an FIR against him. They duped him by asking Rs 85 lakh for an investigation, promising to return it if police would not discover anything against him in connection with the matter. Already under undue pressure, the retired officer succumbed to the fake officers demand. Following this he deposited the cheque in the HDFC Bank branch in Visakhapatnam. Disappointed by the entire incident, the officer has warned others to not fall prey to any WhatsApp video calls from unknown numbers saying, The fraud amount will shock you. In one month, the Visakhapatnam cyber police received complaints amounting to ₹ 300 crore.
