Mumbai: Lieutenant Colonel Omkar S., 41, lost ₹1.28 lakh in an online scam while attempting to publish his PhD thesis. He is pursuing a PhD in the subject of Artificial Intelligence. While searching online for platforms to publish his research papers, he fell into a fraudulent trap. Based on his complaint, the Andheri police registered an FIR on June 25 against an unidentified individual for alleged cheating.
According to the FIR, Lieutenant Colonel Sawant resides in Andheri East and is currently posted in Delhi. “I am pursuing a PhD on the subject of Artificial Intelligence,” he stated in the complaint.
On July 30, 2024, while at his Andheri East residence around 11 a.m., he searched online for websites to publish his research papers. He came across two websites: www.thesisffoicial.com, reportedly based in Vile Parle East, and www.thesiscreators.com, based in Powai.
He contacted the mobile number listed on the websites and inquired about a PhD journal paper publication. The person who answered the call informed him that the cost would be ₹69,000 for the first journal and ₹59,000 for the second, totalling ₹1.28 lakh. He was told that half the amount had to be paid in advance. The fraudster also claimed that the papers would be published in the International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction.
The next day, at 7:55 p.m., Sawant paid ₹34,000 via UPI to the ID provided by the fraudster. On August 16, 2024, the fraudster sent an acceptance certificate from the email address thesisffoicials24@gmail.com to the officer's email. On the same day, Sawant transferred another ₹34,000 via UPI.
The fraudster assured him that the journal papers would be published within three months. In November and December 2024, the officer sent the remaining amount via UPI. Later, the fraudster sent a fake acceptance certificate bearing the forged signature of an editor named James R. Luise.
When the papers were still not published after three months, Sawant contacted the fraudster, who kept evading his queries and claimed the papers would be published the following month. On February 27, 2025, Sawant emailed the help desk to inquire about the status. The concerned department then informed him that the platform was a scam.
Eventually, the officer filed a complaint with the Andheri police. The case was registered under sections 319(2) (cheating by personation), 318(4) (cheating), 336(2), 336(3) (forgery), and 340(2) (forged document or electronic record and using it as genuine) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.
