Nagpur: Two senior citizens were cheated of a combined Rs 19 lakh in separate online frauds involving social media video calls, fake documents and impersonation, police said. The accused in both cases remain unidentified and untraced.In the first case, Leonard D’Souza, 77, of Mohan Nagar, received a PDF on WhatsApp on August 24, offering to process a senior citizen card. During a subsequent video call, the caller obtained his debit card details, gained access to his bank account and siphoned off Rs 3.8 lakh.D’Souza lodged a complaint on August 26, following which a case was registered under Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of BNS and relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act.In the second case, Sunderlal Tankbhore, 72, was targeted between July 22 and August 26. Callers posing as police officers from Lucknow told him that a SIM card and bank account opened in his name had been used to fund a terrorist organisation, and that an FIR had been registered and an arrest warrant issued against him.They claimed bail could be arranged after completion of an “account verification” process. To make their story appear genuine, the fraudsters sent him a fake arrest warrant via WhatsApp and, after instilling fear, persuaded him to transfer money to multiple bank accounts. Tankbhore lost Rs 15.3 lakh in the scam, following which a case was registered.Police said efforts are under way to identify the holders of the accounts into which the money was transferred and to recover the funds. Senior citizens have been advised not to share OTPs, debit or credit card details, or transfer money based on unsolicited calls claiming to be from govt agencies or officials.
