Pune: Online fraudsters duped a 72-year-old man from Koregaon Park by posing as officials of the Mumbai Crime Branch of Rs 21 lakh between July 6 and 9 this year.The elderly man, who earlier ran a business in the city, lodged a complaint with the Koregaon Park police on Friday evening. According to the police, the fraudsters threatened to arrest him for a money laundering case being probed by the Mumbai Crime Branch. “On July 6, the complainant received a video call from a person dressed as a police officer, who identified himself as a senior officer of the Mumbai Crime Branch. He told the complainant that the Crime Branch was investigating a money laundering case involving a well-known businessman from Mumbai,” police said.They added, “the caller claimed that the complainant’s bank account and Aadhaar card had been used by those involved in the money laundering racket and that crores of rupees had been transferred from his bank account to suspicious bank accounts.”“The fraudsters threatened to arrest the retired businessman and demanded money from him to settle the matter. The elderly man, without consulting any of his family members, transferred Rs 21 lakh to five different bank accounts within two days,” police said.“However, the suspects continued to demand more money, making the complainant realise he had been cheated,” police added.
