A 72-year-old doctor in Chandigarh, Dr. Chitranjan Singh Brar, has been defrauded of a staggering ₹33.8 lakh in a scam promising to expedite the maturity of his policies. The incident highlights the vulnerability of seniors to such financial cons.
Fake RBI Official Initiates Contact
Dr. Brar’s problems started in February 2024 when he received a call from an unknown person posing as Subhash Chand Gupta, who claimed to be calling form the Reserve Bank ok India(RBI). Gupta enticed Dr. Brar with the possibility of maturing his policies early and even offered a 20% bonus. To further legitimize his claims, Gupta provided a reference – Colonel Deep Singh Dhillon – whose policies he supposedly matured successfully. Dr. Brar, trusting this information, contacted Colonel Dhillon’s number, which the scammer had conveniently provided, and received confirmation of the claims.
Multiple Bank Transfers Siphon Off Funds
Following these false assurances, Dr. Brar was instructed to deposit various sums into different bank accounts. These transfers were supposedly for policy completion and surety payments. The scam unfolded over several transactions, starting with ₹2.1 lakh on February 22nd, 2024. Subsequent transfers of ₹7.1 lakh, ₹5 lakh, and ₹10 lakh, along with other significant amounts, were made to accounts in RBL Bank, HDFC Bank, and Federal Bank. The total sum defrauded reached a concerning ₹33.8 lakh.
Also Read: SIX-YEAR-OLD RESCUED AFTER KIDNAP ATTEMPT IN CHANDIGARH
Strategic Use of Multiple Banks to Evade Detection
The fraudsters deliberately used multiple bank accounts to make the scam appear legitimate. This tactic makes tracing the funds and identifying the culprits more challenging for law enforcement.
Police Take Action
At the PS-Cyber Crime station in Chandigarh, unknown individuals have been registered a police report against by the authorities today. This includes Section 419 (Impersonation) as well as other sections such as 467 & 468 (Forgery), 420 (Cheating), and Section 120B (Criminal Conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code.
