Kanpur: In yet another digital arrest fraud targeting a senior citizen, a 72-year-old Kanpur resident was allegedly duped of Rs 48.2 lakh by cybercriminals posing as officials of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), CBI, Mumbai Crime Branch and Interpol. The fraudsters allegedly threatened him with imprisonment in serious criminal cases and showed him documents purportedly linked to action against Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal, an accused in a multi-crore money laundering case.According to police, the fake officials kept the septuagenarian under “digital detention” for three days from Sept 10.Swaroop Nagar resident Yogesh Chandra Mishra received a call on Sept 10 from a person claiming to be a TRAI official. The caller alleged that a mobile number linked to Mishra’s Aadhaar had been used in Tilak Nagar, Mumbai, to make threatening calls, circulate obscene content and carry out other criminal activities.The callers then turned up the pressure. A person identifying himself as Ravi Sharma sent purported Interpol and CBI documents to Mishra via WhatsApp before transferring the call to others. Citing his age, they told Mishra that he would be questioned from home through videoconferencing.The fraudsters allegedly threatened him with imprisonment in serious criminal and money-laundering cases and showed him documents purportedly linked to action against the Jet Airways founder. The documents carried Mishra’s Aadhaar number and claimed that his bank account contained Rs 40 lakh.They then directed Mishra to transfer money through RTGS to a specified bank account for “investigation”, assuring him that the amount would be returned within 24 to 72 hours.Believing their claims, Mishra transferred Rs 48.2 lakh from his State Bank account in Swaroop Nagar to a Bank of India account.Cyber police station in charge Abhay Singh said a case had been registered. Police are examining the recipient accounts and other evidence to identify the accused.
