Daijiworld Media Network - Kochi

Kochi, Dec 10: In a major online fraud case, an 81-year-old resident of Aluva was allegedly cheated of nearly Rs 1.20 crore by cyber criminals, who threatened him with a forged Supreme Court notice and falsely linked him to a human trafficking racket.

According to a complaint registered with the Ernakulam Rural Police, the ordeal began when a fraudster calling himself Ranjith, posing as a legal advisor from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), contacted the victim via WhatsApp. The scammer falsely claimed that the victim’s mobile number was involved in a sexual abuse case filed at the Gandhinagar Police Station, Bengaluru.

Soon after, another impostor named Sandeep Rao introduced himself as a police officer from the same station. He initially reassured the senior citizen that the case had been quashed — a ploy to gain trust.

However, the victim’s fears escalated when a third scammer appeared on a video call pretending to be Daya Nayak, a CBI officer. He alleged that a Canara Bank account had been opened in the victim’s name in Mumbai, where Rs 75 lakh was deposited as “commission money” by a prime accused in a human trafficking case.

To intensify the threat, the accused displayed a fake non-bailable warrant bearing what appeared to be the Supreme Court seal, warning that the victim’s bank accounts and properties would be frozen immediately.

Panic-stricken, the elderly man was convinced to convert the matter into a priority investigation to avoid arrest. Under pressure and fear, he transferred nearly Rs 1.20 crore from his personal and joint family accounts through eight transactions between November 1 and December 2.

Police said cyber experts are now verifying the digital trail to track down the accused. A case has been registered under multiple sections of the law, and the investigation is underway.