Ludhiana: In a distressing case of cyber fraud, a 76-year-old local resident was conned out of ₹4 lakh after receiving a call from someone posing as a Canadian police officer. The caller claimed falsely the man’s son had caused a fatal accident abroad and then he demanded money to prevent his imprisonment.
The incident highlights the increasing prevalence of cyber scams targeting vulnerable individuals. The victim in this case was a retired senior laboratory assistant from Punjab Agricultural University (PAU). Bhupinder Singh of Patti Man in Chowkiman village received this call on Oct 18 from an unfamiliar number.
The caller claimed that his son, who resides in Canada, had landed in trouble and faced life imprisonment unless ₹4 lakh was transferred immediately to a specific bank account.
Panicked, Bhupinder Singh transferred the money from his and wife Sukhwinder Kaur’s joint account through RTGS at a village bank branch of Chowkiman. However, when he contacted his son afterwards and realised he had been deceived, he filed a complaint with the cybercrime police station, prompting authorities to launch an investigation.
Assistant sub-inspector Sharwinder Singh, investigating officer of this case, stated that efforts were underway to trace the accused using the mobile-phone number provided and the bank account details. Once identified, the accused will face legal action.
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