Hyderabad man loses Rs. 9.5 lakh to fake Delhi Cyber Crime police

Hyderabad: Cyber criminals impersonating Delhi Cyber Crime Police and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) duped a 40-year-old man of Rs 9.5 lakh in Hyderabad. The fraudsters allegedly threatened the victim, Battula Mallikarjuna Reddy, with legal consequences and forced him to transfer money under the pretext of a financial investigation.

In his complaint, Reddy said on February 4, 2025, he received an automated call from the number 66 913089556, allegedly from Airtel customer service and the caller informed him that his SIM card services would be deactivated within a day.

The caller warned that his SIM card services would be deactivated soon within a day due to multiple mobile numbers registered under his Aadhaar in New Delhi. The call was then transferred to a so-called police officer who spoke to him via WhatsApp video call from the number 91 8018627607. The officer introduced himself as Rahul Yadav from the Delhi Cyber Crime Police Station.

The impersonator told the victim that his Aadhaar was misused in Delhi for illegal activities, including human trafficking and financial fraud. Subsequently, another fraudster posing as a CBI officer stated that his ID was linked to an international money laundering case. He warned the victim that he would be in serious legal trouble, including the blocking of his passport and arrest, if he failed to provide the requested details.

The fraudster then claimed that an HDFC Bank account in his name was being investigated for links to a money laundering case involving Naresh Goyal. He was coerced into sharing details of all his bank accounts and financial assets. The cybercrooks also threatened him that if he does not cooperate, he will be arrested for a serious crime and he could be jailed for 3 to 7 years and fined up to Rs 10 lakh.

The victim was then instructed to transfer the amount in his bank accounts to a secure RBI investigation account. They assured him that the funds would be returned within 12-24 hours if verified as legitimate. Feeling scared and believing their threats, Reddy transferred Rs 9,50,000 via RTGS from his HDFC account to a Federal Bank account (No: 16430100095521) in Bangalore. Following the transaction, the victim realised that he had been cheated. He then lodged a complaint with the Cyber Crime police and requested them to take action against the fraudsters and help him recover his money.