Pramesh S Jain
A 46-year-old homemaker from Bengaluru has fallen victim to a cyber fraud in which scammers impersonating police officers allegedly extorted Rs.1.25 lakh by falsely claiming that her son had been arrested in a Ganja-related case.
According to a complaint registered at HAL Police Station on June 18,2026,the victim received a phone call at around 12.07 pm from an international number.
The caller allegedly introduced himself as a police officer and informed her that her son,had been detained in connection with a narcotics case.
To make the deception appear genuine, the fraudsters reportedly allowed the victim to speak to another person who impersonated her son over the phone.
The caller then claimed that an FIR had to be altered and her son’s vehicle released from police custody,for which money had to be paid immediately.
Believing the claims to be genuine and fearing legal consequences for her son, the homemaker transferred a total of Rs.1.25 lakh through four separate transactions to bank accounts specified by the fraudsters.
The victim later realised that she had been cheated and approached the police.
Based on her complaint,HAL Police have registered a case under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act,2000,along with Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita,2023,relating to cheating, personation and cyber fraud.
Police have initiated an investigation to identify the accused,trace the money trail and recover the defrauded amount.
Authorities have once again urged citizens not to trust callers claiming to be police officers or government officials without independent verification and to avoid transferring money based on threats or emergency claims received over the phone.
In another incident,A 45-year-old homemaker has lost more than Rs.2.12 crore in an elaborate cyber fraud involving a fake part-time job scheme followed by a fraudulent “fund recovery”scam.
A case has been registered at the Whitefield Cyber Crime Police Station.
According to the complaint,the victim was initially contacted through Telegram on April 26, 2025, by unidentified persons who offered her a part-time online job.
The fraudsters claimed she could earn substantial returns by completing online rating and promotional tasks.
After gaining her confidence,the accused persuaded her to invest increasing amounts of money, assuring her that the invested funds and profits could be withdrawn later.
The victim subsequently transferred large sums to various bank accounts and UPI IDs provided by the fraudsters.
When she sought to withdraw her money,the accused allegedly informed her that the funds were stuck and could be released only after making additional payments.
The fraud took a new turn when the victim was later contacted through WhatsApp by another individual claiming to be associated with the Delhi Cyber Crime Police.
The caller allegedly assured her that the lost money could be recovered but demanded further payments to process the recovery.
Believing the claims,the woman continued transferring money through RTGS and IMPS transactions to multiple bank accounts across different banks,including Union Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank,Punjab National Bank,State Bank of India,City Union Bank,AU Small Finance Bank, HDFC Bank, IDFC First Bank,ICICI Bank and Tamilnad Mercantile Bank.
Police said the victim transferred a total of Rs.2,12,92,767 to the fraudsters.Of this amount,she reportedly received only Rs.50,000 back as a withdrawal, which was allegedly used to build her confidence and encourage further investments.
After realising that she had been cheated,the victim approached the police and lodged a complaint.
Based on the complaint,Whitefield Cyber Crime Police have registered a case under Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act and Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to cheating,impersonation and cyber fraud.
Investigators are now tracing the beneficiaries of the bank accounts,analysing digital transaction trails and attempting to identify the cyber fraud network behind the scam.
Efforts are also underway to freeze any remaining funds and recover the victim’s money.
Police have once again warned the public against online part-time job offers promising high returns and cautioned citizens not to trust individuals claiming they can recover money lost in cyber frauds in exchange for additional payments.
