Hyderabad: Online fraudsters cheat retired IFS officer of ₹98,000; case registered

Hyderabad: A retired IFS officer of East Marredpally has been conned of ₹98,000 in an elaborate online scam.

Identified as Monohar Satya Narayana, the 84-year-old was targeted through a fraudulent scheme that utilized a mix of clever tactics and technology.

According to Tukaramgate police, Narayana's ordeal began on August 14 when he listed his vacant apartment on Housing.com, a property rental platform.

A person identifying himself as Pawar Deepak Bajrang reportedly contacted Narayana on August 16. He told him that he was a Subedar in the Indian Army and expressed keen interest in renting the apartment. Narayana requested Bajrang's personal identification documents, including his PAN card, Aadhar Card, Family Photo, and ID card.

However, the plot took a sinister turn when Bajrang advised Narayana to create a Google Pay account and follow a set of instructions, which included clicking on certain links. Eager to facilitate the rental process, Narayana complied with the requests, unaware of the impending danger.

To his dismay, Narayana soon received notifications from his bank, alerting him that a total of ₹98,000 had been deducted from his account. In a desperate attempt to contact Bajrang and rectify the situation, Narayana found that his calls were going unanswered and his messages were not responded to.

The fraudster's tactics were not only convincing but also meticulously orchestrated. The three separate transactions, totaling ₹98,000, were executed through Google Pay, leaving Narayana in a state of shock and financial distress.

Tukaramgate Police registered a case against the alleged scammer under sections 419 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and sections 66 C and 66 D of the Information Technology Act.