PANAJI
Three years after two persons impersonated Goa Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel to cheat some WhatsApp users, the identity of the IAS officer has once again been misappropriated for online fraud.
According to a suo moto complaint, a WhatsApp user impersonated Goel, using his name and photo on WhatsApp profile, and contacted multiple people seeking financial favours. The police said that the unknown man then urged his targets to transfer money into a specified bank account.
The Cyber Police have filed a First Information Report under sections 66-C of the IT Act.
A similar case occured in 2021 wherein Cyber sleuths arrested Utpal Debarma and Parbir Jamatia from rural Bangalore. In this case, one of Goel’s friends had even transferred Rs 98,000 into the fraudulent account, only to realize it was sent to an impersonator. The accused were traced to their hometown and brought to Goa for legal action.
