Juhu man reports ₹3.83 crore fraud by callers posing as ATS officers

A 64-year-old retired bank operations manager from Juhu told Mumbai police he transferred ₹3.83 crore after callers posing as Anti-Terrorism Squad officers said he faced arrest in an alleged terror-funding and money-laundering case.

Police said the calls began on August 7, when a caller identifying himself as an ATS sub-inspector from Colaba said an illegal SIM card had been bought using the man's Aadhaar details. The caller directed him to contact another number on WhatsApp, where another person claimed to be an ATS inspector.

The complainant told police the callers said his Aadhaar had been used to open a Jammu and Kashmir bank account through which ₹7 crore in illegal transactions had been made. Police said the callers sent him a purported Supreme Court arrest warrant and a document carrying the RBI logo.

The man told police he shared details of his accounts and investments because he feared arrest. He then transferred ₹1,83,49,250, ₹60 lakh and two instalments of ₹70 lakh each between August 12 and 17. After speaking to a friend at HDFC Bank, he contacted the 1930 cybercrime helpline.

West Cyber Police have registered an FIR against unidentified callers and the holders of the recipient accounts. Investigators are examining the WhatsApp chats, documents and bank records submitted with the complaint.