A resident was scammed of Rs52 lakh under the pretext of a money laundering investigation, leading to the arrest of five individuals in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
The incident traces back to October 2, 2024, when Harinath Singh received a call from an unknown number. The caller claimed that a SIM card had been registered under Singh’s Aadhaar, which was allegedly being misused for fraudulent activities. Singh was further threatened with the deactivation of his mobile numbers and told that multiple complaints and an FIR had been filed against him.
The scammers then arranged for Singh to speak with a person pretending to be a police officer from Mumbai, who falsely implicated him in the Naresh Goyal money laundering case. They convinced Singh that a Canara Bank account containing Rs6.8 crore was linked to him and that he had received a 10% commission. In fear of arrest, Singh was manipulated into keeping the matter confidential while staying on a continuous video call.
The fraudsters convinced Singh to consolidate his assets, including fixed deposits, shares, and bank balances, and transfer everything to a designated RBI account for investigation. Under duress, Singh transferred Rs52 lakh through RTGS, UPI, and net banking.
As the investigation unfolded, Chandigarh cyber police arrested Hasnain Haider from Lucknow. Based on his disclosure, two associates, Hamza Harmain (26) and Mohammed Asad (26), were apprehended. A total of five individuals have been arrested in connection with the case.
