Mumbai Senior Citizen Duped of ₹2.25 Crore Using Fake Notice Claiming Signature of Ex-NIA Chief

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Cyber Fraud: 77-year-old Man Duped of ₹2.25 Crore

A 77-year-old man from Goregaon, Mumbai, was duped out of ₹2.25 crore by cyber fraudsters who used a fake notice bearing the forged signature of a former National Investigation Agency (NIA) chief.

The Scam

The scammers allegedly created a sense of urgency by threatening the victim with arrest and claiming that his bank account was linked to individuals suspected of terror financing.

According to the police complaint, the fraudsters initially contacted the victim by phone, informing him that a bank account had been opened in his name in a Jammu and Kashmir-based bank. They claimed that the account was under police surveillance and that the victim needed to transfer ₹70 lakh as “commission” money to avoid legal action.

The Fake Notice

To add credibility to their claims, the scammers sent a fake legal notice bearing the forged signature of a senior police official, which included fabricated arrest warnings and case references. This created fear in the victim’s mind, prompting him to transfer ₹2.25 crore into multiple bank accounts over a period of nearly two weeks.

The Investigation

The money was immediately siphoned off once the transfers were completed, and the scammers stopped answering the victim’s calls. Realizing he had been cheated, the elderly man approached the cybercrime cell and filed a complaint.

During the investigation, police traced one of the bank accounts used in the fraud and arrested Kishan Makwana, a 35-year-old man who was found to be operating as a middleman providing bank accounts on commission to cybercriminals.

Preliminary investigation revealed that Makwana was in contact with cyber fraud networks and facilitated the use of his bank account for illegal transactions.

Public Safety Advisories

Police believe that Makwana is only one link in a larger organized racket and are now attempting to trace the main operators behind the fraud.

Technical surveillance is ongoing to identify other members of the gang, who are suspected of using multiple accounts and cash withdrawals to conceal the money trail.

In light of this incident, authorities have issued public safety advisories warning citizens not to share personal, banking, or Aadhaar details with unknown callers.

They emphasized that no government agency demands money over phone calls to avoid arrest or legal action, and urged people to verify any such communication through official channels and report suspicious calls to cybercrime authorities.