In a disturbing case of cybercrime, two fraudsters posed as officials from the telecom sector and Mumbai Crime Branch to scam a 77-year-old woman, Lakshmi Shivakumar, out of Rs1.2 crore. The woman, a resident of R.T. Nagar, filed a complaint with the North Division Cyber Crime Police, leading to the arrest of the accused individuals, identified as Sandeep Rao and Akash Kulhari.
The scam began when the victim was approached by the fraudsters, who claimed they were conducting an investigation related to her telecom services and the Mumbai Crime Branch. Using intimidation tactics, the duo convinced the elderly woman that her financial assets were at risk and that she needed to make immediate payments to prevent legal action.
Over a period of nearly 20 days, the criminals kept up the charade, repeatedly contacting Lakshmi and demanding large sums of money. Eventually, the woman was tricked into transferring a total of Rs1.2 crore. Once the fraudsters had taken the money, they cut all communication, leaving Lakshmi in distress and unaware that she had been conned.
When she realized she had been swindled, Lakshmi reported the incident to the police. The cybercrime authorities registered a case under various sections of the Information Technology Act, 2000, as well as for cheating under the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita.
The police investigation revealed the fraudulent nature of the calls, with Sandeep Rao and Akash Kulhari identified as the primary culprits. They are now facing charges related to cyber fraud, cheating, and financial extortion.
