Mumbai: A 35-year-old homemaker outsmarted a group of scammers who were attempting to dupe her in a digital detention fraud. She initially showed her Aadhaar card to one of the scammers, but as their conversation progressed, she sensed something was amiss and rebuked the scammer, challenging him to quiz her in person if he was genuinely a policeman. Dahisar police registered an FIR as she was concerned her Aadhaar details could be misused.
The incident occurred on November 8. The complainant lives in Borivali East. She received a phone call wherein a pre-recorded message said that her phone number would be deactivated. When she followed the instructions, she was connected to an operator who claimed to be from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The operator claimed that the complainant’s Aadhaar card was misused and that 15 people complained of receiving harassing phone calls from her. The complainant denied calling anyone to harass them.
Next, the complainant received a video call from a man claiming to be Officer Sanjay Singh from the Mumbai crime branch. He was dressed in a khaki uniform, and a Mumbai Police logo was displayed behind him. He asked her to send copies of her photograph and Aadhaar card over WhatsApp, which she did.
Later, he accused her of being involved in a Rs 2 crore monetary fraud. He told her that an interrogation would be carried out in a confidential manner and she was forbidden from informing friends or family. She was threatened with a prison term of two years if she failed to comply. She was then shown photographs of five men involved in money laundering and asked if she knew them. The complainant said she did not know any of these men. Singh then started to inquire about her bank accounts and pestered her to share bank details.
At this, the complainant rebuked Singh, stating that if he was a cop as he claimed to be, then he should question her in person and not over video. She added that she would visit the police commissionerate in person and submit all evidence of her innocence face-to-face. She then hung up the call. On Dec 7, Dahisar police registered an FIR.
