Ex-serviceman duped of Rs 45 lakh by cyber criminals

In yet another case of cyber fraud, an ex-serviceman was duped of Rs 45 lakh on the pretext of approving personal loan and installing mobile tower on his house.

Complainant Hardev Singh, a resident of Bassian village, said he got retired from the Army in 1989. On July 21, 2024 when he was present in the house, he received a call. The caller offered me a personal loan. Believing the caller to be genuine, I sent photocopies of my Aadhaar Card, PAN card and passbook of my bank account via WhatsApp. Then they sent me a scanner and told me to send Rs 2,250 processing fee, then they again asked me to send Rs 6,450 which I sent. I have five accounts of my own, from which I kept transferring money to them, as they gave me the illusion of giving me a loan. About Rs 18 lakh, I transferred to the accused on different dates and later accused switched off their phones,” alleged the complainant.

On August 4, he received a call from some unknown mobile number and as he picked up the call, a girl started talking. Alleged caller said she was from Ansh Tower, Rohini, Delhi, and offered to install a mobile tower on his house. As he was interested in getting the mobile tower installed on his house, he sent his bank account details, passbook, Aadhaar Card, PAN card and photo of the spot where the tower was to be installed.

The complainant further revealed that later in connection with the tower installation process, he got another call and the caller interacted in Punjabi language. Alleged caller asked to deposit the license fee for starting the process. He transferred Rs 27 lakh in the account numbers provided by the suspect.

The cmplainant alleged that accused cheated him of Rs 45 lakh. After he lodged a police complaint, the cyber cell police Ludhiana rural police registered a case against the unknown person and started the investigation.