Delhi family duped of over Rs 4 lakhs by cyber crooks

A family residing in north Delhi fell victim to cyber criminals who deceived them by claiming to secure the release of a close relative from a prison in Australia. Gursimran Singh, 29, recently filed a complaint with the local cyber cell, stating that his mother received a WhatsApp call from an international number, where the caller identified himself as Naunihal Singh.

“In terms of family relations, Naunihal is like a brother to me, and he is currently in Australia for his studies. He informed my mother that his friends had been involved in a fight resulting in the death of another person, leading to the registration of a criminal case with the police,” mentioned Singh in the complaint.

He continued, “Naunihal further informed my mother that all of his friends were currently in jail, while he was the only one who remained free. He then conveyed that a lawyer would contact her to provide further details about the case.” After a while, the lawyer called and claimed that Naunihal had also been incarcerated, emphasizing the urgent need for money to be deposited with the police for his release on bail.

“The lawyer threatened that failing to pay would result in a 15 to 20-year imprisonment for our family. Subsequently, he provided an account number belonging to Vikram Kumar Munda at the State Bank of India branch in Ranchi,” Singh explained.

Initially, the scammer demanded Rs 2 lakh, which the family transferred to the provided account via RTGS. Shortly after, the fraudster called again, demanding an additional Rs 2.3 lakh, supposedly required by the Australian police. Falling for the ruse once more, Gursimran transferred the requested amount, as stated in the complaint.

“Upon making the payment, I grew suspicious and decided to confirm Naunihal’s well-being with my relative. It was then I discovered that neither he nor his friends were involved in any criminal case in Australia. I realized that I had become a victim of cyber fraud,” lamented Gursimran.

Cyber police officials investigating the matter revealed that they had received another similar case recently, involving a different family from north Delhi.

“This family had relatives in Canada, and the fraudsters concocted a similar story, claiming that their relatives were imprisoned and needed money for bail,” disclosed an officer familiar with the investigation.

“The caller provided an account number from the State Bank of India branch in Bhopal and instructed them to deposit Rs 2 lakh, which the family did. Subsequently, the fraudsters demanded an additional Rs 2.4 lakh, which raised suspicions. The family cross-verified the information and discovered the entire incident was fictitious,” the officer added.

Sagar Singh Kalsi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North), informed PTI that the district’s cyber team is actively working on these cases.

“Through our ‘Jan Chetna Abhiyaan’ (public awareness campaign), we are diligently educating people about these types of scams. We advise individuals to never trust anonymous callers or calls originating from unknown numbers. By raising awareness and adopting preventive measures, we hope to effectively combat cyber crimes in the country,” Kalsi concluded.

(With PTI inputs)