A retired executive from Hyderabad fell victim to a scam where a gang impersonated CBI officers and extorted Rs 85 lakh from him over Skype. The 57-year-old had saved the money for his son’s education but was coerced into transferring it to a fictitious garments company.
The victim, who retired from a pharmaceutical company, received his retirement settlement on May 2. He planned to use the money for his son’s visa appointment but was tricked by fraudsters on May 14. The gang posed as officials from various departments and promised to return the money after verification.
The victim was instructed to write a cheque to ‘Rana Garments’ and transfer the funds to an account at HDFC Bank in Delhi. The case is now under investigation by the Visakhapatnam Crime Branch, with suspicions of involvement from bank officials. Police in Delhi found another company at the address associated with Rana Garments.
The Visakhapatnam Crime Branch has collected documents from HDFC Bank as part of their investigation. The victim was initially contacted by someone claiming to be a cybercrime officer and was threatened with imprisonment if he didn’t pay Rs 85 lakh. After two days of interrogation over Skype, the victim transferred the money to the fake company, which distributed it to 105 accounts.
