In a distressing turn of events, a software engineer residing in Ahmedabad’s Satellite area fell victim to fraudsters posing as officials from Mumbai Police, resulting in a loss of Rs 20 lakh. Khushbu Shah, 30, employed at a local private company, lodged a complaint with the Cybercrime police on Thursday.
The fraudsters, masquerading as Mumbai cops, exploited Khushbu Shah’s identity, a resident of Agrawal Apartments, to fraudulently obtain a loan. Under false pretenses, they coerced her into divulging personal details by fabricating a story involving the discovery of illegal substances, including MDMA (methylenedioxy-methamphetamine), passports, and credit cards in an international parcel purportedly linked to her.
Claiming to be conducting an investigation, the fraudsters alleged that an individual accused of money laundering had a shared bank account with Shah. Exploiting her fear and confusion, one of the impostors, impersonating an officer from Mumbai Cybercrime police, coerced her into transferring the substantial sum.
According to Shah’s FIR, the ordeal began with an unidentified caller on December 12, 2023, informing her about a parcel purportedly sent from Mumbai to Iran under her name as the sender. The caller asserted that the package, addressed to a person named Zhang Lin, contained prohibited items, including five expired passports, four credit cards, clothing, and 450g of MDMA, necessitating payment of Rs 99,510 for shipment charges.
Subsequently, a female individual claiming to be a Mumbai police officer joined the call and proceeded to extract Shah’s bank and Aadhaar card details. These credentials were then exploited to secure a personal loan of Rs 20 lakh in her name.
Shah, intimidated by the false claims of her involvement in illicit activities, reported feeling frightened and coerced throughout the ordeal. The Cybercrime police have initiated an investigation and registered a complaint against the perpetrators for breach of trust, cheating, and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code, in addition to charges under the Information Technology Act.
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