A 26-year-old woman, Najookh Madan Lochan, has been arrested by the central cyber cell for her involvement in a cyber fraud case where a 69-year-old woman was duped out of Rs97 lakh. The investigation, led by Inspector Maosami Patil, revealed that Lochan was one of the beneficiaries in whose account Rs20 lakh was deposited and siphoned off by the gang.
The elderly woman, a retired resident of Wadala, was targeted by a gang posing as government officials. On December 5, she received a call from a man identifying himself as Vijay Sharma, a “senior telecom officer” from TRAI’s Delhi office. The fraudster falsely informed her that her Aadhaar card had been misused to activate a fraudulent mobile number in Delhi. The call was then transferred to another individual who claimed to be Inspector Pradeep Singh from Barakhamba police station. This impersonator linked the victim to a money laundering and human trafficking case, claiming an account had been opened using her documents.
The scam continued with the fraudster sending fabricated legal notices via WhatsApp, pressuring the woman to comply with the investigation. She was told that if she wished to avoid digital arrest, she must transfer money. Out of fear and panic, the victim blindly followed the instructions, transferring Rs97 lakh in various instalments to multiple bank accounts as directed by the scammers. It was only after the victim’s family discovered the transactions that they realized she had been scammed, and a complaint was filed with the Worli Cyber Police Station.
The investigation led to Najookh Madan Lochan, a resident of Malad, who had received Rs20 lakh through her account as part of the scam. She was arrested on Monday, and further investigation is underway to trace the other members of the fraud gang. The police are working on identifying all parties involved in this cyber fraud and ensuring justice for the victim.
