Mumbai doctor swindled of Rs 7.33 lakh by cyber fraudster posing as a cop

A 27-year-old doctor working at a civic-run hospital in Mumbai fell prey to a computer scam and lost Rs 7.33 lakh to a fraudster impersonating a Mumbai police officer, an official revealed on Saturday.

Authorities filed a complaint against the unidentified perpetrator last week under sections 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating), and 465 (forgery) of the Indian Penal Code, as well as pertinent provisions of the Information Technology Act, reported PTI.

According to the report, Dr Blessy Esther, a senior doctor at KEM Hospital, filed a complaint alleging that she received a call from an unusual number on February 29. The caller, posing as a courier business employee, informed her that a parcel intended for her had been impounded at the Mumbai airport. The shipment allegedly included five passports, three credit cards, 140 grams of mephedrone pills, clothing, and a laptop.

The call was then transferred to someone purporting to be from the cyber police, who grilled Dr Esther and told her to submit a police report after denying knowledge of the parcel. During a following video chat, the fraudster, posing as a police officer, presented the Mumbai police emblem and briefed the doctor about putative fraudulent bank accounts made in her name and allegedly used to fund terrorist activities, the report added.