Kerala Police rescue doctor from 'virtual arrest', SBI officials recover Rs 4.65 lakh of his money

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A Kerala-based doctor has been rescued in real time from a 'virtual arrest' by "fakesters" who were posing as Mumbai Police officers to defraud him, news agency PTI reported. The cyber cell of Kerala Police, along with the State Bank of India (SBI) officials, on Tuesday collaborated to identify the fraud and managed to recover most of the Rs 5 lakh that was taken from him by the fraudsters, Kottayam Superintendent of Police (SP) Shahul Hameed said at a press briefing.

According to PTI, a cyber cell officer told a TV channel that SBI has a financial tracking system for monitoring suspicious transactions and they flagged a Rs 5-lakh transaction that was made by the doctor on Tuesday to an account in North India.

"They immediately informed the cyber cell, which forwarded the address of the doctor to Changanassery Police Station (in Kerala) and an inspector was sent from there to his residence to find out what happened," the officer said.

Hameed said that the doctor did not allow the officer to enter his house, fearing the fraudster, who was posing as a Mumbai Police cop.

"The inspector heard the person on the phone telling the doctor in Hindi not to go outside or allow anyone inside. So the inspector entered the home. On examining the doctor's phone, it was found that the accused had put him under virtual arrest. When he saw the Kerala Police officer, he cut the call," the SP said, adding that owing to the prompt steps taken by the police and SBI's financial tracking system, the doctor could get back Rs 4.65 lakh and only Rs 35,000 was lost to the unidentified fraudsters.

According to PTI, Hameed said that the fraudsters sent fake letters with the letter head and emblem of the Reserve Bank of India and the Supreme Court to the doctor, stating that he was under investigation for money laundering.

Alert SBI officials inform police about transaction

When the doctor contacted them, one of them posed as a Mumbai Police officer and said he was under virtual arrest. They then asked him to send them Rs 5 lakh, the Kerala Police stated.

The doctor transferred the money from the Changanassery branch of SBI. The officials of the bank, however, found something amiss and questioned the doctor. But he told them that he was sending the money to a friend.

"Initially, he was not ready to believe that all of it was a fraud and it took some effort to convince him and lodge a complaint," the cyber cell officer said.

Hameed said that the Central Government, RBI and the police have been issuing advertisements cautioning people to be alert against such frauds.

"People should go through these advertisements and be vigilant, and if anything happens, they should immediately call 1930 to block any suspicious online transaction," he said.

(With PTI inputs)