PUNE, 18 August 2025: A Pune native working in the United States was cheated of ₹45 lakh after cyber fraudsters tricked him into believing that his identity was being misused in India. The victim’s 70-year-old father lodged a complaint at Koregaon Park police station, following which an investigation has been launched under Senior Inspector Sunil Thopte.
The fraud began when the victim received late-night calls from individuals claiming to be officials from the Indian Embassy in Washington and the Mumbai Cyber Crime Cell. They alleged that his Aadhaar and SIM card had been used to open a bank account in India, which was linked to illegal financial transactions.
The callers threatened him, saying that his bank accounts, laptop, and even his wife’s phone were under surveillance. They warned that if he revealed the matter to anyone, he could face deportation from the US. Under pressure, the man transferred ₹45 lakh from his Axis Bank account in India to another account via RTGS.
Later, when he realized he had been cheated, he filed an online complaint. The matter has now been officially registered in Pune, where police are investigating the case.