Fraudsters Impersonating Police Dupe Bengaluru Women of ₹2.14 Crore
Two separate cyberfraud incidents in Bengaluru have led to losses exceeding ₹2.14 crore, with scammers impersonating police officers and using fake job schemes to target victims, according to police complaints filed this month.
In the first case, a 46-year-old homemaker from Bengaluru lost ₹1.25 lakh after fraudsters posing as police officers claimed that her son had been arrested in a narcotics case. The victim received a call from an international number around 12:07 pm on June 18, where the caller introduced himself as a police officer. To make the deception appear genuine, the fraudsters allowed her to speak to another person impersonating her son. They then demanded payment to alter an FIR and release her son's vehicle. Believing the claims, she transferred ₹1.25 lakh across four transactions to bank accounts specified by the fraudsters. Realising she had been cheated, she filed a complaint at the HAL Police Station. A case has been registered under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, along with Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, relating to cheating, personation, and cyberfraud.
In another incident, a 45-year-old homemaker lost over ₹2.12 crore in an elaborate fraud that began with a fake part-time job offer and later evolved into a fraudulent 'fund recovery' scheme. The victim was first contacted on Telegram on April 26, 2025, by unidentified persons offering an online job with returns for completing rating and promotional tasks. After gaining her confidence, they persuaded her to invest increasing sums, assuring her of withdrawals. She transferred large amounts to various bank accounts and UPI IDs. When she sought to withdraw, the fraudsters claimed the funds were stuck and required additional payments. Later, another individual claiming to be from the Delhi cybercrime police contacted her via WhatsApp, promising recovery of lost money but demanding further payments. Over time, she transferred ₹2,12,92,767 to the fraudsters, receiving only ₹50,000 back as a confidence-building measure. Realising the scam, she lodged a complaint at the Whitefield Cyber Crime Police Station. A case has been registered under Section 66(D) of the IT Act and Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the BNS.
Police have urged citizens to verify unexpected calls from individuals claiming to be law enforcement or offering lucrative jobs, and to avoid transferring money to unknown accounts. Investigations are underway in both cases.
