Cyber fraud of Rs 18 lakh with retired railway employee

Ranchi: A retired railway employee has been cheated of Rs 18 lakh in a cyber fraud case in the Tetulmari police station area of Dhanbad district. The cyber criminals contacted the elderly victim over the phone, claiming to be an official from the Dhanbad DRM (Divisional Railway Manager) office, and lured him by promising to process his pension. They obtained confidential bank details from him under this pretext.

According to the information, the incident took place on June 4. The victim received a call from an unknown number, where the caller introduced himself as an officer from the railway DRM office. He said that to complete the pension process, the victim needed to share his bank account details and OTP (One-Time Password). Trusting the caller, the elderly man shared his OTP. Within minutes, Rs 18 lakh was transferred from his account to four different bank accounts.

Upon realizing the fraud, the victim’s family informed the Tetulmari police station and the nearby cyber police station. Later, the victim also filed a written complaint with the state-level Cyber CID, Jharkhand. An investigation has been initiated based on the complaint, and the process of tracking the involved bank accounts is underway.

The cyber cell has appealed to the public to stay alert and vigilant. They advise against sharing confidential information like bank details or OTPs over calls from unknown numbers. No government department or bank asks for such information over the phone. In case of suspicious calls, people are urged to immediately contact the cyber helpline number 1930 or file an online complaint at www.cybercrime.gov.in.