Navi Mumbai Senior Citizen Duped of Rs 64 Lakh in Long-Running Cyber Scam

A Senior citizen in Navi Mumbai was allegedly cheated of Rs 64 lakh over four years in a highly organised cyber fraud involving impersonation of insurance and grievance officials , police said, with investigators now probing possible interstate links.

The Navi Mumbai Cyber Police registered an FIR on April 20 under sections related to cheating and personation under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with provisions of the Information Technology Act.

According to officials, the 62-year-old victim was targeted in January 2022 when he received a WhatsApp call from fraudsters posing as representatives of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA). He was falsely told that he was eligible to recover matured insurance funds but would first need to comply with procedural requirements.

The scam was further escalated by another accused impersonating an official of the Integrated Grievance Management System (IGMS) , who reinforced the illusion of legitimacy and assured refund of earlier payments after verification.

Under various fabricated charges such as “Agent Code Removal Fees,” “FDR Fees,” and “State Level Tax,” the victim was repeatedly induced into transferring money, eventually losing funds through 32 separate bank transactions involving both his and his brother’s accounts.

Investigators said the fraudsters also pressured the victim into opening new bank accounts and sending ATM cards to Indrapuram, Ghaziabad , which is now being treated as a key interstate link in the case.

The scam only came to light after the victim received a legal notice from Yashwanthapur police station in Kerala , warning that his accounts were allegedly being used for criminal activities, a pattern seen in several similar cyber fraud cases.

Police have confirmed that no arrests have been made so far. Multiple mobile numbers and an email ID used by the accused are under investigation, and officials suspect the involvement of a larger organised cybercrime network using mule accounts across states .