BSF Inspector duped of over Rs 70 lakh after ‘digital arrest’ in Gwalior

GWALIOR: A 59-year-old inspector posted at the BSF Academy in Tekanpur in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior district, was duped of more than Rs 70 lakh after being subjeted to a ‘digital arrest’ for nearly a month, a police officer said on Tuesday.

The officer further added that the cyber frauds posed themselves as officials of the Mumbai Cyber Crime Wing and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and extorted money from the BSF officer by executing various transactions throughout December, starting on December 2.

According to the FIR, the victim lodged a complaint that he was defrauded of Rs 70,29,990 by some unknown persons who posed as officers of the cyber crime wing, and threatened both him and his family with arrest.

#WATCH एक BSF इंस्पेक्टर द्वारा रिपोर्ट दर्ज़ कराई है। इनके पास 2 दिसंबर को कुछ फर्जी कॉल आए थे। कॉल पर कहा गया कि ED इनके खिलाफ जांच कर रही है। इनके परिवार के लोगों को गिरफ़्तार कर लिया जाएगा। इन्होंने दबाव में आकर दिसंबर में अलग-अलग समय पर कई बार उन्हें पैसे भेजे। ठगी का मामला… pic.twitter.com/Bgo6VMmHYp

— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) January 7, 2025

Superintendent of Police (SP, Gwalior) Dharmaveer Singh said, “The victim is a BSF officer and posted on the post of Inspector at BSF Academy Tekanpur. A complaint was lodged at Crime Branch Gwalior on Monday. The victim told the police that he received a call from the cyber frauds on December 2 last month and he was informed that ED and the Mumbai crime branch were investigating his fake accounts. They also threatened him that his family members would be arrested in connection with the same”.

The BSF officer was put under pressure and as a result, made several financial transfers to the fraudsters throughout December. In the meantime, he also went to Lucknow after taking leave and transferred some money to them from there as well, SP Singh said.

“Based on the complaint, a case has been registered and an SIT (Special Investigation Team) has been constituted to probe the case. Details of all the bank accounts in which transactions were made have been collected and the team is working on the case”, the SP said.

During the period of the fraud, the victim did not inform his senior officers, colleagues or family members. However, when his son later learned of the incident, it was brought to the notice of the police. Taking prompt action, the FIR was registered and further proceedings into the matter are underway, SP Dharmaveer Singh added. (ANI)