NEW DELHI: A mechanical engineer in Faridabad, reported being scammed out of Rs 3.46 lakh by cybercriminals who kept him under ‘digital arrest; for six days, police reported on Friday.
The victim, Mohit, told police he received a call on December 6 from someone claiming to be from a courier company.
The caller said a parcel with illegal items, including drugs and passports, was intercepted at Delhi Airport under his name. When Mohit denied involvement, the call was transferred to another person claiming to be from the cyber cell.
This person instructed Mohit to appear in a video conference call, which included individuals impersonating Delhi Police personnel.
“The accused took me to a video conference in which there were some people who looked like Delhi Police personnel. They accused me of money laundering and asked for my bank statements and other information,” the complainant said.
The scammers then directed Mohit to stay in a room at his Sector 55 home with his phone camera constantly on, allowing them to monitor him. He was told his money would be transferred to a dummy RBI account for safekeeping.
“I used to keep the camera on by keeping my mobile phone turned on day and night. The accused took all the information related to my bank and said that all my money would go to a dummy account of the RBI,” Mohit claimed.
The scheme unraveled on December 12 when the fraudsters accidentally left their microphones on, revealing their deception.
“On December 12, the accused forgot to switch off their mics and started talking to each other. I got suspicious of their words and immediately disconnected the call and moved to the police,” he said in his complaint.
Faridabad cyber police have registered a case and are investigating.
