Mumbai: Elderly woman duped of Rs 20 crore in two months by fraudsters posing as CBI officers; Here's how
Cybercriminals defrauded an 86-year-old Mumbai woman of Rs 20 crore by accusing her of money laundering and threatening arrest. The fraudsters orchestrated fake online court proceedings and monitored her movements for two months.
FollowMumbai: Cybercriminals swindled Rs 20 crore from an 86-year-old woman in Mumbai by falsely accusing her of involvement in a money laundering case and threatening her with arrest. To lend credibility to their scam, the fraudsters arranged fake online court hearings. For nearly two months, they monitored her constantly, calling every three hours to track her whereabouts and instructing her not to leave her home.
Authorities have since apprehended two individuals connected to the crime.
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The scheme began when the elderly woman received a call from someone posing as Sandip Rao, who claimed to be a CBI officer. He informed her that a bank account had been opened in her name and was allegedly used for laundering money, including transactions linked to Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal. The fraud came to light when her domestic help noticed unusual changes in her behavior and alerted her daughter.
"She would stay in her room, yell at someone, and only come out for food," said a police officer.
Scammer Poses as CBI Officer, Threatens Arrest and Asset Seizure to Intimidate Elderly Woman
The scammer, identifying himself as Sandip Rao convinced the elderly woman that a CBI special investigation team was handling a case against her and that a formal complaint had already been registered. During a WhatsApp video call, he intimidated her by claiming her children could be arrested and their bank accounts frozen. He also mentioned an arrest warrant, a freeze order, and a confidential agreement issued in her name. The fraudster warned that if she failed to cooperate, police officers would show up at her home.
Terrified by the threats, she was told there was no need to visit a police station because, under the "Digital India Movement," her investigation would be handled virtually, with law enforcement officials supposedly monitoring her case online. Exploiting her fear, they asked for her banking information, claiming it was necessary to verify whether her accounts were involved in "criminal transactions."
The woman was placed under what the fraudsters described as “digital police custody,” and was strictly prohibited from communicating with her family. During this period, the accused manipulated her into sharing personal details about her family, business interests, and investments through WhatsApp conversations.
Rao and another individual, Rajiv Ranjan, contacted her daily, speaking for two to three hours at a time. They also sent her forged documents, including fake notices supposedly from the Supreme Court. Under the pretense of helping her “clear her name,” they instructed her to transfer her entire savings to what they claimed was an official court account.
Following the registration of an FIR on March 4, police apprehended Shayan Shaikh (20) from Malad and Raziq Butt (20) from Mira Road. Investigations revealed that Rs 5 lakh had been deposited into Shaikh’s account, while Rs 9 lakh was transferred to a different account. Butt later passed the funds to another accomplice, who converted the money into cryptocurrency.
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