Man impersonated TRAI, CBI officer, says police
PANAJI
The Cyber Crime police arrested a Kerala native of duping a South Goa woman of over Rs 2.60 crore by impersonating senior officials from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Mumbai.
The fraudster identified as Rijas K, also has 11 other cases of cybercrime across the country, total amount of which is estimated at Rs 22.77 crore.
The woman complainant from Margao had lodged a complaint alleging that between May 20 and June 2, the accused made several calls and sent WhatsApp messages from various numbers.
Superintendent of Police (Cyber Crime) Rahul Gupta stated that the victim was falsely informed that a police complaint was registered against her Aadhaar number after which he sent a forged copy of a Supreme Court order to build pressure. Thereafter, he forced the complainant to transfer Rs 2,60,33,634 into various bank accounts.
“The investigation traced Rs 76,35,760 from the total amount to an ICICI Bank account held by one Rijas K, a resident of Kozhikode, Kerala. The Cyber Crime team then proceeded to Kozhikode. With assistance from the local police, the accused was arrested,” the officer said adding, “During interrogation, it was found that the accused is a habitual cyber fraudster and is involved in at least 11 cybercrime cases across the country. The total fraud linked to him is estimated at Rs 22.77 crore.”
The department has reiterated its advisory urging citizens to remain alert against fraudulent calls and WhatsApp messages impersonating government officials. Any suspicious activity should be reported to the Cyber Crime Helpline 1930 or the nearest police station.
