Connaught Place Bookstore Owner Victimized by Cyber Fraud

An elderly bookstore owner in Delhi was tricked out of over Rs 15 lakh by a cyber-fraudster posing as a municipal official. The scam was part of a larger cybercrime operation targeting financial details through deceitful calls and blackmail, leading to arrests and ongoing investigations.

An 80-year-old bookstore owner in Delhi's Connaught Place became the latest victim of cyber fraud, losing more than Rs 15 lakh to a scammer posing as an official from the New Delhi Municipal Council, police reported on Friday.

The incident, which occurred on June 16, began with a WhatsApp call to the victim, alleging overdue electricity bills and threatening disconnection unless immediate payment was made. The scammer instructed the bookstore owner to settle an invoice of Rs 12 via a provided link, prompting the victim to enter his bank credit card details in a state of panic. This resulted in unauthorized debit transactions totaling approximately Rs 15.45 lakh from the victim's account.

Police said the victim promptly contacted his bank to freeze the account after realizing the deceit. A formal complaint was lodged at Connaught Place police station on June 17. Meanwhile, further investigations continue after a separate cyber-extortion racket involving nude video call blackmail was uncovered by Delhi Police on the same day, leading to the arrest of two suspects in connection to that case.

(With inputs from agencies.)