Thane, April 4 Cyber fraudsters, posing as CBI officers, allegedly cheated a 42-year-old man from Thane district in Maharashtra of Rs 71.1 lakh by threatening to implicate him in a false harassment case, police said on Saturday.
According to the police, the victim, a resident of Dombivli, received a call in the first week of March from an unidentified person claiming to be from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
"The caller told the complainant that he had sent abusive messages to women and that a case was registered against him at the Ghatkopar police station, and that the CBI was investigating the matter," an officer said.
Subsequently, the two accused, posing as CBI officers, contacted the victim, alleging that his bank transactions indicated fraudulent activities.
"The duo claimed that multiple agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED), would investigate the case. They also sent forged documents, purportedly from the Supreme Court, to make their claims appear genuine," the officer added.
He said that the accused demanded money in phases from the complainant to settle the case, assuring that the amount would be refunded.
The victim transferred Rs 71.1 lakh through online transactions, he said.
The fraud came to light after the victim shared details of the transactions with his wife, who questioned the accused and verified the documents sent to them. Upon finding discrepancies, the family realised they had been cheated.
A case of cheating was registered earlier this week at the Tilak Nagar police station under relevant provisions of the IT Act, and an investigation is underway, the official said.