Fraudsters Posed as Mumbai Police to Extort Funds; ₹53 Lakh Recovered So Far
Chennai police have apprehended 13 individuals involved in a large-scale fraud operation that duped a 72-year-old woman from Abhiramapuram of ₹4.72 crore. The victim was misled by a caller posing as a police officer, who claimed her Aadhaar and mobile numbers were being used to open multiple fraudulent bank accounts, with cases registered against her in Mumbai and Delhi cyber crime units.
Authorities traced the money trail, leading them to a gang operating in Villivakkam and Triplicane. The syndicate transferred the stolen funds abroad via hawala routes and laundered them back as cryptocurrency through the Binance app. Police seized ₹53 lakh in cash, along with mobile phones, bank passbooks, and cheque books from the suspects. Following an investigation, all 13 arrested individuals were remanded to judicial custody.
The scam began when the elderly woman was contacted by someone pretending to be a Mumbai Police officer, who falsely claimed that a parcel containing illegal items, including drugs and fake documents, had been seized by customs. The caller further alleged that multiple bank accounts had been opened in her name, and she would need to present herself for questioning at the Mumbai Cyber Crime Police Station or face immediate arrest.
When the victim sought to clear her name, the impostor convinced her to cooperate via video call and instructed her to isolate herself at home. The scammers then tricked her into transferring ₹4.72 crore to a designated bank account under the guise of verifying her funds for illegal activity. After realizing she had been defrauded, the woman filed a complaint with local police, which initiated the investigation.
