Bhopal: In a brazen act of cybercrime, a Sub-Inspector (SI) posted at the Police Headquarters was defrauded of over Rs 3.25 lakh during the National Forest Fair at Lal Parade Ground. The victim, Zulfikar Ali Khan, had visited the fair on December 23 to purchase medicines. When his PhonePe transaction failed, a shop assistant and his accomplice offered “technical help,” briefly handling his phone under the guise of verifying the payment.
The suspicion arose when the staff suddenly quoted a significantly higher price for the medicines, prompting Khan to cancel the purchase. However, within moments of reclaiming his device, his bank account was drained of Rs 3,02,422 in a series of rapid transactions. Adding to the ordeal, Khan received suspicious calls in an unfamiliar tribal dialect while heading to report the crime.
The Jehangirabad Police have registered a case under the IT Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. One suspect is currently being interrogated, as investigators track the digital footprint of the stolen funds. This incident serves as a grim reminder that even law enforcement officials are not immune to the sophisticated tactics of modern-day cyber predators.
