A 33-year-old Byculla woman was duped of over Rs 27 lakh after conmen posing as government officials and even a senior police officer spun an elaborate web of lies involving Aadhaar misuse, illegal bank accounts, and money laundering.
The victim, a business advisor by profession, received a call on August 18 from a man claiming to be from the telecom regulatory department. The conversation started as a warning from a woman posing as a department employee about the victim`s phone being blocked, but quickly spiralled into threats about being arrested. The employee, Priya Sharma, claimed that the victim’s Aadhaar had been used to open 13 bank accounts linked to human trafficking and money laundering.
The victim was made to join a WhatsApp video call with a man dressed in a police uniform, who introduced himself as a cybercrime officer. He asked her to show her Aadhaar card on camera and assured her that she would receive clearance after paying verification charges.
Then the call was transferred to another man appearing as a policeman. He introduced himself as “Cyber DCP Milind Bharambe of BKC”. Milind Bharambe is an IPS officer, currently serving as the commissioner of Navi Mumbai police. The man posing as Bharambe warned the victim of imminent arrest unless she obtained a ‘no objection certificate’ after verification.
According to cyber police officials, the victim woman was bombarded with forged documents, including a notarised legalisation letter, confidential agreement and anti-money laundering certificates, all designed to appear official and real.
On the pretext of “inspection, clearance and protocol”, the victim was pressured into making several transactions between August 19 to 26. “The victim ended up emptying all her savings. She sent over Rs 27,20,300 to various bank accounts via UPI and RTGS,” an official said.
He added, “For some days after this, she kept waiting for them to contact her, worried about whether her name was cleared from the money laundering and human trafficking confusion, but there was no communication. She tried to call them, but those numbers were unavailable. That’s when she realised she was conned.”
On September 8, she finally dialled the cybercrime helpline 1930, and two days later, an FIR was registered at the Cyber Police Station (Central Region) under sections of cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy, and impersonation of the IT Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
What to do if you’re duped online
>> Call 1930 immediately: The National Cybercrime Helpline works 24×7. Early reporting increases the chances of freezing assets.
>> Report on cybercrime.gov.in: Upload transaction details, phone numbers, and screenshots.
>> Alert your bank or wallet service: Block cards/UPI and request the bank to freeze suspicious credits.
>> Save all evidence: Keep SMS alerts, WhatsApp chats, emails, and call logs. Don’t delete anything.
>> Visit your nearest police station to file a written complaint or FIR.
