How a Pune IT professional lost Rs 40 lakh from his bank account? Trouble started with a fake CBI call

A cybercriminal, masquerading as a CBI officer, orchestrated the unlawful transfer of Rs 40 lakh from the bank account of a 46-year-old software engineer residing in Wakad, Pune, over the course of March 21 and 22. Inspector Vitthal Salunkhe from the Wakad police department told TOI that the perpetrator engaged the victim in a prolonged video call using a telecommunication application under the guise of conducting a verification process related to a purported money laundering investigation.

Exploiting this opportunity, the criminal coerced the victim into divulging sensitive information by sharing his mobile phone screen.
Subsequently, the fraudster instructed the victim to execute several financial transactions, leveraging the shared screen to illicitly obtain access to the victim's bank credentials, thus facilitating the unauthorized withdrawal of Rs 40 lakh from the victim's account.


The victim promptly lodged a complaint with the cybercrime unit of the Pimpri Chinchwad police, leading to the initiation of a case by the Wakad police following verification of the complaint application.

As per the victim's account, he received an unsolicited call from an unidentified number on March 21, purporting to be from the CBI, prompting him to participate in a video call through a telecommunication application.

During the call, the impersonator falsely informed the victim of a warrant issued against him in connection with a money laundering case, coercing him to remit a security deposit to nullify the warrant. To perpetrate this deception, the fraudster instructed the victim to share his cellphone screen and conduct certain transactions, thereby obtaining sensitive information such as OTP and PIN numbers, enabling the illegal withdrawal of Rs 40 lakh from the victim's bank account.

Upon discovering the unauthorized debit from his account, the victim promptly reported the incident to the authorities, who have since initiated an inquiry, soliciting transaction details from the bank to aid in the investigation.