2 Bengaluru Senior Citizens Lose Rs 80.5 Lakh To Fake 'RBI Officials'

A man from Bengaluru was allegedly cheated of Rs 80,50,000 after unidentified callers posing as police officials and RBI personnel threatened him with a fabricated money laundering case.

According to the FIR, on October 30, the 74-year-old senior citizen received a WhatsApp call from an unknown number where the caller claimed to be an assistant to the DCP. The caller said they had his Aadhaar, bank details and other personal information, and warned that money in his and his sister's bank accounts was fraudulent and needed verification by the RBI.

Fearing consequences, the complainant shared his bank details. He was then coerced into breaking his Post Office fixed deposit worth Rs 30 lakh and, the next day, transferring Rs 35 lakh to bank accounts provided by the scammer.

The fraudsters, calling from multiple international and Indian numbers, allegedly instructed the complainant and his sister not to leave their house or contact anyone, claiming they were under surveillance and faced immediate arrest.

On November 3, the complainant's sister, also broke her Post Office fixed deposit and deposited the amount into her SBI account. The next day, she was forced to transfer Rs 16 lakh and Rs 19,00,047 to two more accounts provided by the scammers.

Later, on November 10, another Rs 10.5 lakh was transferred from the complainant's ICICI account to the same Canara Bank account previously used. In total, the duo lost Rs 80.5 lakh.

The scam came to light after yet another WhatsApp caller on November 29 instructed the complainant to visit the police station, prompting him to file a formal complaint. Police have registered a case and begun efforts to trace the unidentified callers.