Mumbai Cyber Fraud: 66-Year-Old Retired Income Tax Official Duped Of ₹8.51 Lakh In Fake NIA Arrest Threat Scam; Case Registered

A 66-year-old retired Income Tax Department employee from Worli, Hemant Vasant Warlikar, was allegedly defrauded of Rs 8.51 lakh by cyber scammers who impersonated National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials and threatened to arrest him over a fabricated criminal case. The Mumbai police have registered a case against two individuals, Sandeep Roy and Suraj Jaiswar, and are investigating the incident.

Evidence According to the First Information Report (FIR), Warlikar received a WhatsApp video call from an unknown number at around 10.45 am on September 5, claiming to be an NIA officer. The callers stated that a complaint had been filed against Warlikar, alleging misuse of his Aadhaar card details to obtain a PAN card and deposit money into another account.

The scammers threatened Warlikar with imprisonment if he did not pay the demanded sum. Financial Loss The accused persisted in calling Warlikar, demanding payment to avoid arrest and jail time. Warlikar transferred Rs 4.51 lakh on September 8 to an Indian Post Payments Bank account and another Rs 4 lakh on September 10 to a Jammu and Kashmir Gramin Bank account.

Realisation and Reporting Upon discovering the scam, Warlikar reported the incident to the cybercrime helpline and Dadar police. Investigation Ongoing The police have registered the case under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act, and are actively investigating to locate the accused and trace the path of the stolen money.