A 77-year-old man from Ameerpet was conned out of ₹53 lakh in a cyber fraud involving a fake money laundering investigation and impersonation of a senior police officer. The cybercrime wing of the Hyderabad Police booked a case and initiated a probe.

The victim was made to believe that a case had been registered against him and that his accounts were under threat of being frozen by authorities, said an officer.

On June 18, the victim received a phone call from a man identifying himself as Rajveer Kumar, also known as G. Kumar, who claimed to be a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) from Delhi. The fraudster, wearing a police uniform during video calls, informed the victim that he was being investigated for money laundering charges. He told the elderly man that his bank accounts would be frozen and an arrest warrant had been issued against him.

To build pressure, the fraudster shared forged documents over WhatsApp, including a fake Supreme Court order, an RBI fund verification letter, a law enforcement inspection notice, and a certificate claiming the funds would be supervised. Claiming the money would be verified and returned by the Reserve Bank of India, the fraudster instructed the victim to transfer his entire savings to a specified bank account for ‘official verification’.

Believing the scam to be legitimate and fearing arrest, the victim transferred ₹53 lakh. The fraud only came to light after the money was not returned and the communication ceased. The victim then lodged a complaint.

Victims of cyber fraud can report incidents by dialling 1930 or visiting cybercrime.gov.in. For immediate support, citizens can also contact the Cyber Crimes Police at 8712665171 on call or WhatsApp. Further updates and advisories are available on their official social media handles and website.