Elderly woman in Mumbai duped of ₹1.15 cr by cyber fraudsters over 6 years

A 70-year-old woman from central Mumbai lost about Rs 1.15 crore to cyber scamsters, who posed as Income Tax (I-T) officials, over six years, police said on Wednesday.

The incident came to light on Monday after the septuagenarian, a resident of the Worli area, filed a complaint with the Dadar police.

The victim first received a call in May 2019 from a woman who claimed to be an I-T official and told her that the department wanted to return her deceased husband's money, the police said.

The complainant was asked to clear "pending" taxes and various penalties accrued against her husband's name to get back his money, the official said.

Believing the caller, the woman started depositing money into the accounts provided by the fraudsters, he said.

Over six years, the complainant shelled out over Rs 1.15 crore in 50 transactions, but never received any money from the I-T department, he said.

The woman recently shared the episode with her relatives, who told her that she was being conned by cybercriminals and urged her to approach the police.

Based on her complaint, the Dadar police have registered a case against unidentified fraudsters and launched a probe, the official added.