Mumbai: East cyber police registered an FIR Wednesday after a 68-year-old retired clerk from Kanjurmarg East alleged fraudsters posing as police and data protection officials cheated her of Rs 60.5 lakh by threatening her with arrest in money-laundering cases.Her complaint said a caller identifying himself as Ajay Sharma contacted her on Sept 28 and claimed 20 people had complained against her. He asked her to contact Panchvati Police Station in Nashik over the alleged misuse of her Aadhaar card.Another caller identifying himself as sub-inspector Sandeep Rao said an arrest warrant had been issued against her and claimed 247 senior citizens had been arrested for similar offences. He allegedly promised to secure a two-day court extension and instructed her not to disclose the matter or retain the callers’ numbers.On Sept 29, Rao sought details of her family, bank accounts and gold. He instructed her to retrieve gold from a bank locker, send photographs and pledge it with Muthoot Finance.The woman approached a Muthoot Finance office in Vikhroli. Its personnel later visited her home, verified her documents and processed the loan. Her gold weighed 52 tolas, but she obtained Rs 25 lakh because of the lender’s limit, the complaint said.After the loan was credited, the callers directed her to obtain an RTGS form and transfer money to accounts supplied by Rao’s purported superior. They allegedly threatened her with “digital arrest” and danger to her life if she refused.She transferred money on Oct 1, Oct 3 and Oct 6 from her State Bank of India and Punjab National Bank accounts, including her lifetime savings. The accused allegedly kept her on video calls during bank visits and instructed her to tell employees the money was needed for her son’s house construction.The callers claimed the money had been deposited with RBI and would be returned. However, they stopped contacting her after Oct 6 and did not answer her calls on Oct 12 and Oct 13.She contacted 1930 Cyber Helpline on Oct 14, submitting transaction details, payment slips and her statement. Police initiated action to freeze the accounts.
