A sophisticated and prolonged cyber fraud operation, which invoked the name of industrialist Mukesh Ambani and used forged documents bearing the Prime Minister's photograph, has stripped a 77-year-old Hyderabad woman of her life savings. The victim, a resident of Barkatpura, lost a staggering Rs 1.8 crore from her bank accounts over a period of nine months, as per a complaint filed with the Hyderabad cyber crime police.
The Deceptive Windfall and the 'Ambani' Call
The ordeal began in February when the elderly woman started receiving unsolicited WhatsApp calls. The callers informed her that she had won a massive Rs 2 crore jackpot in an online lottery. Initially, she ignored the communication. However, the fraudsters persisted and contacted her again two weeks later. This time, a man introduced himself as 'Mukesh Ambani', using the industrialist's reputation to gain her trust.
Posing as Ambani, the fraudster convinced her to share details of her Indian Overseas Bank account to facilitate the transfer of the supposed prize money. Upon learning that her account lacked internet banking, he instructed her to activate the facility and then extracted her credentials. Days later, she was told the full amount could not be transferred to a single account and was asked to provide another account number.
Forged Documents and Systematic Access
To add a layer of official legitimacy to their scheme, the criminals sent the woman a fake document featuring her photograph, name, and even the Prime Minister's photo. This document falsely stated that they had received an RBI letter authorizing the transfer of Rs 2 crore. The victim was subsequently manipulated into activating net banking for her accounts with the State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, and HDFC Bank.
The fraud then escalated. Individuals posing as RBI officials contacted her, collected copies of her and her husband's Aadhaar and PAN cards, took photos of her debit cards, and sent her a link to gain remote access to her phone. This access gave them complete control over her financial transactions and communications.
The Draining of Accounts and FD Closures
Between March 13 and December 8, the fraudsters meticulously emptied her four bank accounts. To avoid triggering bank alarms, they executed 123 small-value transactions, a tactic police believe was used to evade automatic fraud detection systems. The scale of the theft was methodical and relentless.
In a further devastating blow, the con artists convinced the woman to prematurely close fixed deposits held jointly with her husband. They falsely claimed that RBI regulations required proof of equivalent balances in her accounts before the lottery prize could be credited. This move wiped out her secure, long-term savings.
The shocking reality came to light only when the victim visited one of her banks and discovered that a mere Rs 6,000 remained in her account. After her attempts to contact the fraudsters failed, she finally approached the cyber crime police on Wednesday.
Based on her complaint, the police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including charges for organised crime, cheating, and cheating by personation. This case highlights the alarming sophistication of cyber criminals who target vulnerable senior citizens with psychologically manipulative and technically elaborate scams.
