Geetanjali Dash, Vice Chancellor of Berhampur University, was allegedly defrauded of Rs 14 lakh by a cybercriminal impersonating an ED officer. On February 12, she received a call claiming she was involved in an ED case and was digitally arrested. The impersonator demanded money for her release, leading her to transfer the funds. After realizing she had been scammed, she filed a complaint on February 24. The cyber police are investigating the case. The fraudster had initially built trust by refunding Rs 80,000, but subsequently cut off communication, prompting Ms. Dash to report the incident.
Berhampur, Odisha:
The Vice Chancellor of Berhampur University, Geetanjali Dash, has reportedly been swindled out of Rs 14 lakh by a cybercriminal who impersonated an ED officer, placing her under “digital arrest”, according to police information released on Tuesday.
On February 12, Ms. Dash received a call from an individual claiming to be an ED officer, alleging her involvement in a case concerning crores of rupees deposited in a bank account under her name.
The caller informed her that she was digitally arrested and requested Rs 14 lakh for her release. She complied and transferred the money to an account specified by the fraudster.
A complaint was filed on February 24, leading to the registration of a case at the cyber police station here, stated SP (Berhampur) Saravan Vivek.
The SP noted that an investigation is currently underway, and the fraudsters associated with this case would be apprehended shortly.
In a conversation, the VC mentioned that the caller, who spoke in English, referenced her family as well. She was informed that due to an ongoing case, she needed to withdraw funds from her bank account for an audit.
To build her trust, they returned Rs 80,000 to her account the following day and assured her that the remaining amount would be refunded in installments. Eventually, when the caller became unreachable, she realized she had been duped and subsequently filed an FIR, she explained.
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