Cyberabad police recover ₹1 crore lost in ‘boss impersonation’ scam

Cyberabad Cyber Crime police have secured and restored ₹1 crore allegedly lost by a saree retail outlet in a boss impersonation scam, with a 37-year-old man arrested in connection with the fraud.

The accused, Deepak Kumar, a water-plant business operator from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, allegedly used a forged WhatsApp profile to impersonate the proprietor of the retail outlet.

On August 4, the outlet’s accountant received a financial request through the forged profile, which he believed belonged to the proprietor. Acting on the request, he transferred ₹1 crore from the victim’s Karur Vysya Bank account to an IndusInd Bank account.

During the investigation, Cyberabad Cyber Crime police found that the money had been routed through a corporate current account in the name of Royal Moda Pvt. Ltd., which was allegedly being used as a mule account to route fraudulent proceeds.

Kumar was traced to Lucknow and arrested on August 8. He was produced before a competent court in Lucknow, which granted transit remand, following which he was brought to Cyberabad and produced before the IX Additional Metropolitan Magistrate, Kukatpally. He was subsequently remanded in judicial custody.

Prompt police action and intervention by the courts helped secure the fraudulently transferred amount. Appropriate orders were passed within a day for restoration of the money, following which the entire ₹1 crore was secured and returned to the victim on August 14, within 10 days of the fraud, police said.

Further analysis through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal revealed links between the accused’s bank account and cybercrime cases registered in other states. Investigation is under way to identify other accused persons, ascertain their roles and trace the complete money trail.

Those who fall victim to financial cyber fraud have been advised to immediately call 1930 or report the incident through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal to facilitate efforts to secure the defrauded funds.