68-Year-Old Mumbai Woman Loses ₹7.21 Crore to Cyber Fraudsters

A 68-year-old woman from South Mumbai was allegedly duped of ₹7.21 crore by cyber fraudsters who threatened to implicate her in money laundering and terror-funding cases, police said on Thursday.

According to officials, the fraudsters used a sophisticated impersonation scam to intimidate the retired woman and convince her that her mobile number had been linked to serious criminal activities. The victim, who retired from a private company in 2024, received a call in April from a man identifying himself as ‘Rajkumar Das’, allegedly an official of the National Data Protection Board of India.

Das reportedly told the woman that her mobile number had been used in a cybercrime involving money laundering and financing of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) and terrorists. The woman was later contacted through a WhatsApp video call by another person claiming to be ‘John Mathew’, an Assistant Commissioner of Police attached to Panchavati Police Station in Nashik.

The alleged fraudsters sent her fake notices and orders purportedly issued by a court, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). They allegedly told her that transferring money would help establish her innocence and instructed her to move funds to several bank accounts.

The fraudsters also made the woman create an account on a cryptocurrency platform and transfer money to a crypto wallet. Fearing legal action and believing the claims, she broke her fixed deposits and redeemed mutual fund investments before transferring the money as instructed.

It was only later that the woman searched for information online and realised that she had been targeted in a cyber fraud.

She subsequently contacted the national cybercrime helpline 1930, following which the South Region Cyber Police registered a case. Police have launched an investigation into the fraud, including the identities of those involved and the movement of the transferred funds.

The incident highlights how cybercriminals are increasingly using fake law-enforcement identities, forged official documents and threats of criminal prosecution to manipulate victims into transferring large sums of money.