A businessman from Hyderabad fell victim to a multi-layered impersonation scam, losing Rs 75 lakh after fraudsters duped him into transferring cash through a sophisticated social engineering operation that highlights the rising threat of cyber deception in India.
A Hyderabad businessman has allegedly lost Rs 75 lakh after fraudsters posed as a man he knew and persuaded him to send cash to Ahmedabad, in a case that police say has exposed another layer of India’s fast-moving impersonation scams. Telangana Today reported that the complainant, Rohit Kumar Narendra Kumar Jain, runs a plywood business and was in China when the message arrived on WhatsApp.
According to the account published by Telangana Today, the sender claimed to be Prithviraj Kothari and said he urgently needed the money in Ahmedabad, promising repayment through another intermediary. Jain arranged the transfer through an associate in Hyderabad, after which the cash was sent by courier. The alleged fraudsters told those involved to hand the money to a person identified as Babu Bhai, but contact stopped soon after the collection. Jain then approached police.
Police first registered a zero FIR in Hyderabad before forwarding the matter to Kalupur police station in Ahmedabad, where the case was re-registered, Telangana Today said. Investigators reviewed CCTV footage and other evidence before tracing and arresting Bharat Goswami in Ahmedabad, and are now trying to identify the wider network behind the scam.
The case fits a broader pattern of cyber fraud in which criminals use social engineering, false identities and time pressure to extract large sums. Hyderabad police have said in recent public notices that they have refunded crores of rupees to victims in unrelated cyber fraud cases, including investment scams, bank impersonation schemes and fake job offers, after freezing suspicious accounts and helping complainants move quickly through the recovery process.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
