The Gwalior Crime Branch has detained 2 individuals for allegedly defrauding an elderly woman of Rs 38 lakh. The arrest took place on Tuesday in Bhopal, with the suspects identified as Shahrukh and Laiq, following the woman’s complaint.
Superintendent of Police Dharmaveer Singh detailed that the victim, an MBBS doctor, was targeted in April by scammers posing as members of an enforcement agency. She was informed that a consignment booked in her name contained illegal items, including drugs and fake passports, and was under investigation at a police station in Lucknow.
The scammers pressured the woman by claiming her consignment was linked to a serious crime, and they posed as officials from the CBI, conducting WhatsApp calls to further intimidate her. They falsely asserted that bank accounts in her name, linked to human trafficking, had been used to deposit approximately Rs 3 crore. The woman was coerced into transferring all her money to the accused, who promised to return it after an investigation.
The scammers even provided a fake CBI arrest warrant and a letter instructing her to transfer the funds. Believing that her money would be returned after the investigation, the woman complied. When the promised funds did not return and she realized she had been defrauded, she reported the incident to the Gwalior Crime Branch.
An FIR was filed, and the Crime Branch launched an investigation, leading to the arrest of Shahrukh and Laiq on July 30. The investigation revealed that the stolen funds were distributed across 18 different bank accounts. Both accused are currently in custody, and further investigation is ongoing.
