Special Correspondent
Pune: A 65-year-old senior citizen from Pune was duped of ₹26.5 lakh by cyber fraudsters posing as officials from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The scammers threatened him with “digital arrest” in connection with a fake money laundering case.
The victim, identified as Hari Anantrao Patil, a resident of Kharadi, lodged a complaint at the Kharadi Police Station. Based on his complaint, a case of cyber fraud has been registered.
According to police, the fraud took place between June 22 and July 9. The scammers contacted Patil via WhatsApp, claiming to be officers from the ED and CBI. They falsely informed him that a case of money laundering had been registered against him and that his Aadhaar details had been misused for illegal financial transactions.
Using fabricated documents, the fraudsters convinced Patil that his identity had been used in criminal activities and warned him of an imminent digital arrest. They then manipulated him into transferring ₹26.5 lakh from his bank account to an account provided by them, under the pretext of clearing his name and avoiding arrest.
Realizing later that he had been scammed, Patil approached the police and filed a complaint. Kharadi police have registered an FIR and an investigation is currently being led by Police Inspector Jagtap.
