Lucknow: In two separate incidents of cyber fraud, scammers tricked a recently retired sub-inspector and a serving police constable out of a combined sum of Rs 5.26 lakh, using fake identities, misleading links, and social engineering tactics.
Case 1: Rs 4.61 Lakh vanishes from Retired Officer’s Account
Gyanendra Kumar Shukla, a resident of Ratnakar Khand in South City and recently retired sub-inspector from Balrampur district (retired on May 31), was targeted by a scammer impersonating a treasury official.
On July 5, Shukla received a phone call from a man introducing himself as Akhilesh Srivastava from the Treasury Department. Claiming that Shukla’s pension file was pending and needed digital confirmation, the fraudster sent a suspicious link for verification.
Trusting the impersonator, Shukla clicked on the link and entered his bank details, believing it was part of a pension processing procedure. Minutes later, he discovered that ₹4.61 lakh had been siphoned from his account.
He immediately alerted his bank and the Cyber Crime Cell, and subsequently filed a formal complaint at PGI Police Station.
Case 2: Constable Loses Rs 65,000 After Facebook Trap
In another incident, Ajay Kumar, a constable posted at Police Headquarters (PHQ) and residing in Police Lines, fell prey to a scam via Facebook Messenger.
On July 1, Ajay received a message from an account named “Pankaj Bhai”, claiming to be an acquaintance currently in Malaysia. The scammer offered to transfer Rs 6 lakh to Ajay’s account, saying he would collect it upon return to India. Believing the story, Ajay shared his bank account details.
The fraudster then claimed his passport had been blocked, and asked Ajay to help unblock it by contacting a so-called agent. Over a series of four transactions, Ajay was duped into transferring Rs 65,000 to the con artist.
Realizing he had been tricked, he registered an FIR at Hazratganj Police Station.
Investigation Underway
Police officials in both cases have registered complaints and initiated investigations with the help of the Cyber Crime Cell. Authorities are examining digital footprints, call records, and financial transaction trails to trace the culprits.
Meanwhile, officials have once again urged the public, including retired and serving personnel, to remain vigilant against online fraud and avoid clicking on unsolicited links or sharing sensitive information online.
“The rise in impersonation scams shows how fraudsters are now targeting even law enforcement personnel. Public awareness and digital caution are critical,” said a senior police officer from Lucknow.
