FPJ Cyber Secure: Police Constables Fall Victim To Cyber Fraud, Lose Over ₹1.2 Lakh; Case Registered

Cyber fraud cases have been on the rise, with criminals now targeting even the police. In a recent incident, two policemen from Nirmal Nagar police station fell victim to online fraud, collectively losing ₹1,27,650. The incident was reported to the Nirmal Nagar Police Station on July 11, resulting in the registration of a case against two individuals suspected of cheating the officers.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), Ranjeet Jambhale (47) and Vijay Bhosale, both police constables, experienced the fraud. Jambhale accepted a friend request on Facebook from the hacked profile of Assistant Police Inspector Santosh Kamble on June 7. The fraudster then requested Jambhale's mobile number, which he shared.

Communication over WhatsApp

On June 12, Jambhale received a Facebook message from the fraudster, claiming to be a CRPF officer named Santosh Kumar and a close friend of his. The imposter mentioned a desire to sell furniture at a lower price and provided Jambhale with Santosh Kumar's phone number. Jambhale began communicating with the fake CRPF officer through WhatsApp on the same day.

During their conversation, Jambhale received a message from an unknown number claiming to be CRPF officer Santosh Kumar. The imposter stated that Santosh Kamble had shared Jambhale's number with him. Posing as Santosh Kumar, the fraudster informed Jambhale that he had been transferred from Pune to Srinagar and was looking to sell furniture. He sent pictures of the furniture along with a price of ₹60,000. Jambhale's colleague, Vijay Bhosale, a police constable, was present at the time and expressed interest in purchasing the furniture. They decided to buy it together.

The fraudster, still posing as Santosh Kumar, sent Jambhale a picture of the CRPF officer's identity card on WhatsApp and instructed Jambhale to transfer the money to the account of Rakesh Adhivashi, claiming that Adhivashi was a CRPF employee.

Subsequently, Vijay Bhosale made consecutive transfers of ₹40,000, ₹ 9,900, and ₹10,000 to the fraudster's account using Gpay. The fraudster confirmed receiving ₹60,000 and informed them that their friend's Activa scooter would be sold for ₹25,000. The fraudster sent pictures of the Activa via WhatsApp. Vijay Bhosale's relative, Sachin Bhosale, expressed interest in buying the Activa and transferred ₹25,000 to the fraudster's account.

Later, the fraudster, still posing as Santosh Kumar, called Jambhale and asked for the address to deliver the furniture. Jambhale provided Bhosale's village address. The fraudster then sent pictures of the furniture loaded onto a tempo. However, the fraudster came up with another trick, claiming that CRPF regulations required a deposit before allowing the vehicle to leave. They requested a transfer of ₹21,750 to Rakesh Adhivashi's account, and the victims complied.

The fraudster called Jambhale again and informed him that the deposit of ₹21,750 had been received. However, the fraudster claimed there had been a technical mistake and asked for two different amounts to be transferred: ₹21,000 and ₹750. The fraudster assured Jambhale that he would transfer the original ₹21,750 again, which had already been transferred. As Vijay Bhosale's account had insufficient funds at that point, Jambhale made the transfer. When Jambhale inquired about the return of the deposit, the fraudster provided a colleague's number, claiming that the colleague had been unable to transfer the money due to certain reasons. The fraudster stated that the colleague had brought the cash deposit during the delivery. Later, Jambhale received another call, stating that the delivery vehicle was locked in Satara Hills and requested a transfer of ₹ 21,750 to unlock it. At this point, Jambhale became suspicious and refused to transfer the money.

Case registered

Constable Jambhale subsequently filed a complaint against the two individuals at Nirmal Nagar Police Station, where they are employed. The case has been registered under sections 419 (cheating and personation) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly) of the IPC Act, as well as sections 66(c) (fraudulently making use of electronic signature, password, or any other unique identification feature of another person) and 66(d) (communication device or computer resource cheats by personation) of the Information Technology Act.

When contacted by FPJ, the complainant declined to comment on the matter.