Mumbai: Homemaker Outsmarts Digital Scam, Files FIR Against Fraudulent Officer
Mumbai, 9th December 2024: A 35-year-old homemaker successfully outsmarted a group of scammers attempting to trap her in a digital detention fraud. Initially, she shared her Aadhaar card with one of the scammers, but as the conversation unfolded, she grew suspicious and confronted the scammer, challenging him to meet her in person if he truly was a policeman. Fearing misuse of her Aadhaar details, she filed a complaint with Dahisar police, leading to the registration of an FIR.
The incident took place on November 8. The complainant, a resident of Borivali East, received a call featuring a pre-recorded message stating that her phone number would be deactivated. Following the instructions, she was connected to someone claiming to be from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). This person alleged that her Aadhaar card had been misused and that 15 people had complained about receiving harassing calls from her. She denied these allegations.
Subsequently, the complainant received a video call from a man who introduced himself as Officer Sanjay Singh from the Mumbai crime branch, wearing a khaki uniform with a Mumbai Police logo in the background. He requested her photograph and Aadhaar card via WhatsApp, which she provided.
Singh then accused her of being involved in a Rs 2 crore monetary fraud and told her that the interrogation would be confidential, forbidding her from informing anyone. He threatened her with a two-year prison sentence if she did not comply. He also showed her pictures of five men allegedly involved in money laundering and asked if she recognized them, to which she replied that she did not. Singh then pressed her for her bank details.
At this point, the complainant challenged Singh, stating that if he was a police officer, he should interrogate her in person, not over video. She informed him that she would go to the police commissionerate to present all evidence of her innocence. She then ended the call. On December 7, Dahisar police registered an FIR based on her complaint.
