A senior citizen in Hyderabad was defrauded of Rs 26 lakh after he was tricked into believing that his name has been linked to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 civilians had been killed.
The 68-year-old man received calls between September 17 and 19 from fraudsters posing as officials of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), and even the Director General of Police (DGP).
They claimed that a terrorist named Asif Fauji, named as the perpetrator of the Pahalgam attack, had the victim's number and photographs stored in his phone. The fraudsters alleged that he helped Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and received Rs 70 lakh.
To make the fraud more convincing, the accused showed him forged arrest warrants, fake RBI letters, and fabricated documents over WhatsApp video calls.
He was informed that the NIA team is on its way to arrest him and to avoid hassle he needs to get a No Objection Certificate.
Under constant fear of arrest, the man withdrew his fixed deposits and initially transferred Rs 6.06 lakh, followed by Rs 20 lakh from his wife's account.
Though he was asked by the accused not to report the matter, his family noticed irregularities and convinced him to file a complaint with the police.
The Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police is investigating the matter.
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