Caller, posing as CBI official, threatens complainant by saying money-laundering case had been filed against him

Sangareddy: A Central government employee, a resident of Lakdaram village of Patancheru mandal, lost Rs 3 lakh to cyber fraudsters, who threatened him over phone by saying a money-laundering case had been filed against him in Mumbai.

The caller told the victim that he was speaking from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). When he clicked a link sent by the accused, Rs 3 lakh was debited from his bank account on Wednesday.

Realising that he was cheated, he immediately lodged a complaint by calling 1930. D4C DSP N Venugopal Reddy said they could freeze the entire amount in the accused’s bank account as the victim had lodged a complaint within the ‘golden hour’ — less than an hour after the fraud occurred.

The DSP said they would get back the money by following all due procedures. He said complaining about cybercrime in less than an hour is crucial to getting back the lost money.