Pune Doctor Loses Rs 70 Lakh in Organ Trafficking Scam by Cybercriminals Impersonating Law Enforcement

A doctor from Pune fell victim to a cybercrime involving an organ trafficking scam, losing Rs 70 lakh to fraudsters who posed as law enforcement officers. The cybercriminals accused her of participating in an international organ trafficking scam, using fake video calls and threats of arrest to manipulate her into transferring her savings.

The anesthesiologist, currently employed at a city hospital and in her late fifties, filed a formal complaint (FIR) at a cybercrime police station after realizing she had been duped. The scam began in the final week of February, when she received a call from a man claiming to be a bank official. He told her a card registered in her name had been misused and advised her to contact the “Delhi CID” to address potential illegal activity.

On a video call, a scammer dressed as a police officer, in a setup resembling a police station, claimed she was under investigation for her involvement in a major organ trafficking scam linked to child trafficking. The cybercriminals alleged her bank accounts were tied to transactions worth Rs 3 crore and threatened her with arrest if she did not cooperate.

She was coerced into disclosing details of her assets, including investments and savings, under the pretext of an official inquiry. Later, a scammer posing as a prosecutor convinced her to transfer her wealth to a so-called “official” mule account, promising she would get her money back soon. The scammers later demanded more money and even persuaded her to mortgage her house. When she contacted a family member for help, she realized she was a victim of a sophisticated organ trafficking scam and promptly filed a report with cybercrime police.

Investigations have revealed that such frauds are orchestrated by multi-layered, geographically dispersed syndicates that launder money through Bitcoin, moving funds from victims to mule accounts and eventually to international cybercriminal networks.

In May last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs stated that the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) was receiving numerous complaints of blackmail, extortion, and “digital arrests” by cybercriminals posing as law enforcement officers and agencies, including the CBI and RBI. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also highlighted the dangers of such scams, including the organ trafficking scam, during his “Mann Ki Baat” address.