Delhi man loses Rs 10 lakh after frauds accuse him of links to Pulwama terror attack

A 32-year-old Delhi resident was allegedly duped of over Rs 9 lakh by a person posing as the chief of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and accusing him of being involved in the Pulwama terror attack, police said on Monday.

A case was registered on October 14 after the complainant, a resident of Karol Bagh, told police that on August 13, he received calls from multiple unknown numbers whose callers falsely accused him of being involved in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack.

They claimed Rs 50 lakh had been deposited in a bank account opened under the victim’s name in Kashmir, police said, citing an FIR.

“I received phone calls on my mobile number from three different numbers where the callers falsely accused me of being involved in the Pulwama Attack in Kashmir and alleged that an amount of Rs 50 lakhs had been credited to a bank account opened in my name in Kashmir,” it said.

Claiming the account was linked to his ID, the callers warned the victim to keep the matter secret, claiming ‘influential persons’ were involved, the FIR said.

The callers then allegedly instructed him to switch on his camera, lock his room, and avoid informing his family members.

They “interrogated” him, collected details of his bank accounts, and connected him to another person who introduced himself as the chief of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), the FIR said.

The complainant said the accused directed him to come to the Lucknow office to join the investigation, but he conveyed unwillingness.

The victim was allegedly told to transfer money for “fund legalisation” to an account purportedly approved by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Anxious over the threats, the complainant transferred Rs 8.9 lakh through RTGS from his bank account and an additional Rs 77,000 via online payment application to a UPI ID, according to the FIR.

Later, the accused sent him a forged bail application, demanding another Rs 4 lakh for his “release”. When he refused to pay further, the callers disconnected and switched off their phones, police said.

“I have suffered a total loss of Rs 9,67,000 and mental harassment due to the fraudulent acts of these unknown persons,” the complainant told police.

A case was registered under section 318(4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita on October 14, and efforts are underway to trace the accused and recover the cheated amount, the senior police officer said.

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Earlier in a similar modus operandi, a 78-year-old retired banker from South Delhi lost nearly Rs 23 crore in a digital arrest scam between August 4 and September 4. The accused threatened him with being involved in funding the Pulwama terror attack.

On February 14, 2019, a devastating terror attack took place in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, when an explosive-laden vehicle rammed into a convoy carrying CRPF personnel, killing at least 40 jawans. The attacker was identified as Adil Ahmed Dar, a member of Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad.