Fake CBI officers dupe retired executive in Hyderabad of Rs 85 lakh in Skype scam

VISAKHAPATNAM: A retired senior executive from Hyderabad, formerly with a multinational pharmaceutical firm, fell victim to a scam in which a gang impersonated CBI officers, extorting Rs 85 lakh from him through a two-day "interrogation" conducted over Skype.

The 57-year-old, who had earmarked the funds from his voluntary retirement settlement for his son's overseas education, was coerced into transferring the money to a fictitious garments company via cheque. The funds were subsequently dispersed across 105 bank accounts nationwide.

The victim, who retired as an associate general manager from a Germany-based pharmaceutical company operating extensively in India, received his retirement settlement on May 2. He intended to use the money for his son's visa appointment scheduled for May 17. However, on May 14, the fraudsters tricked him into parting with Rs 85 lakh.

The gang, posing as officials from CBI, customs, narcotics, and income-tax departments, assured him that the money would be returned after verifying his records. They instructed him to write a cheque to 'Rana Garments,' which held an account at HDFC Bank in Delhi's Uttam Nagar. Following the incident, HDFC Bank's Uttam Nagar branch lodged a police complaint regarding the fraud.

The case, now under investigation by the Visakhapatnam Crime Branch, has reportedly yielded some leads. The retired officer suspects involvement from some bank officials and questions whether proper KYC procedures were followed for Rana Garments' account. When police in Delhi investigated, they discovered another company occupying the address associated with Rana Garments, whose owner remains untraceable.

The Visakhapatnam Crime Branch has collected several documents from the local HDFC Bank branch as part of its investigation. The retired executive recounted how he was initially contacted by an individual claiming to be "DCP Cyber Crime Balsing Rajput," who alleged the victim's involvement in multiple narcotics and money laundering cases, threatening imprisonment.

After enduring two days of Skype interrogation, the fake DCP demanded Rs 85 lakh for investigative purposes, promising its return upon verification. Trusting their assurance, the victim transferred the money to Rana Garments, which was then distributed to 105 different accounts.