In a major cyber fraud case, the Cyber Crime Police have arrested a Kerala-based man, Rijas K, for allegedly duping a woman from South Goa of over ₹2.60 crore by impersonating officials from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Mumbai.
According to Superintendent of Police (Cyber Crime) Rahul Gupta, the victim — a resident of Margao — was targeted between May 20 and June 2. During this period, she received multiple phone calls and WhatsApp messages from various numbers, wherein the accused falsely claimed a police complaint had been filed against her Aadhaar number.
To lend credibility to the scam, the fraudster allegedly sent a forged copy of a Supreme Court order, thereby coercing the victim into transferring ₹2,60,33,634 into several bank accounts.
Further investigation revealed that Rijas K is a repeat offender, with 11 cybercrime cases filed against him across India, involving a total estimated fraud of ₹22.77 crore. His arrest marks a significant breakthrough in tracking down serial cybercriminals operating sophisticated impersonation scams.
The police have appealed to the public to remain vigilant against fake legal threats and impersonation scams, and to verify the identity of any official-sounding caller before taking any financial action.
The case is under further investigation, with efforts underway to trace the money trail and potential accomplices.