83-year-old loses Rs 1.32 crore to cyber fraud

BENGALURU: An 83‑year‑old man lost Rs 1.32 crore to cyber fraudsters. The victim, Varadarajan, a resident of Yelahanka, Bengaluru, was scammed by a group that posed as Mumbai Crime Branch and got him to transfer Rs 1.32 crore to their account.

They introduced themselves as ACP Crime Branch Mumbai on a WhatsApp call and said they found 256 Aadhaar cards related to money laundering during investigation, and Varadarajan’s Aadhaar card was also among them. They told Varadarajan that he will need to visit Mumbai for the investigation, but offerrered a concession since he is a senior citizen and said they will verify everything via video call.

The fraudsters also warned Varadarajan that he should not talk to anyone, should not call anyone else, and should not tell them about their investigation, and that if he informs anyone, he will be arrested.

The money was transferred in installments from November 9 to December 6. Now, the fraudsters who took the money have switched off their mobiles. Varadarajan’s two children are settled in London. A case has been registered at the Northeast Division Cyber police station.