Raipur
A retired woman scientist in Raipur was reportedly cheated of ₹42 lakh by fraudsters posing as CBI and police officials, police said. The incident allegedly took place in the Kotwali police station area.
Pushpa Agrawal, a resident of Tagore Nagar who had retired as a chief scientist from a Chandigarh-based science institute, complained that on September 18 she received a call from a man claiming to be a Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) official. He allegedly told her that a SIM card had been issued in her name, which was being used for blackmail calls, and offered to “help” her.
The call was then reportedly transferred to another person claiming to be a Delhi Police officer, who told her that a man had been arrested in a ₹3 crore money-laundering case and ₹30 lakh had been deposited into an account registered in her name. She was further allegedly informed that the CBI was investigating and that her account was under scrutiny.
Subsequently, she was connected to a person identifying himself as a CBI officer, who allegedly told her that an arrest warrant had been issued and all her assets and bank accounts would be seized. Frightened, Agrawal reportedly transferred ₹42 lakh to a bank in Karnataka for “deposit verification,” with the assurance that the money would be returned.
She grew suspicious when the fraudsters began asking for details about her mutual funds and other investments, after which she lodged a complaint with Kotwali police. Authorities have registered a case and are investigating the matter.
