Bhubaneswar: A 19‑year‑old NEET aspirant from Bhubaneswar’s Nayapalli area foiled a cyberfraud’s attempt to extort money from her allegedly by impersonating DGP Y B Khurania on Thursday. She lodged a complaint at cyber police station here in this regard.The woman said she received an anonymous call on a messaging app flashing the DGP’s photograph in the afternoon. “The caller identified himself as the DGP and accused me of watching banned porn sites regularly. I denied the charge. He then sent a video showing police personnel thrashing a man, warning of similar torture if I did not cooperate in the investigation,” she recounted.“He claimed a police team had already been dispatched to my home and threatened that I would be humiliated before my family and neighbours. He demanded Rs 21,000 to stop the police from reaching my house,” she said.The woman, however, recalled awareness messages circulated by Odisha police. “I remembered an advisory stating that no investigator would ever interrogate or investigate on the phone. When he demanded money, I realised he was a fraudster. I hung up and approached the police,” she said.Cyber police officers praised her presence of mind. “She acted smart and did not fall prey to the deceit and pressure tactics of the scamster. The caller’s number has been blocked and efforts are on to trace him,” an officer said.Police urged public to remain alert against such impersonation scams, stressing that law enforcement agencies never seek money or conduct investigations on phone calls.
