Nagpur: A retired officer of the Mineral Exploration Corporation of India (MECL), Vijay Pathak, was cheated of Rs 24 lakh by a cyber fraudster who threatened him with a “digital house arrest.” The incident has been reported by the cyber police and a case has been registered against the accused, identified as Manoj Sharma.
The fraud took place on July 2, when Pathak, a resident of Dabha, Nagpur, received a call from a person claiming to be an officer from the Department of Telecommunications in Delhi. The caller falsely informed him that a Rs 500 crore scam had taken place in Canara Bank using his Aadhaar card and that he had received Rs 6 crore illegally. The fraudster claimed that a police case was registered against him at Colaba Police Station in Mumbai.
Pathak was threatened with arrest and digital monitoring if he did not cooperate. Out of fear, he followed the fraudster’s instructions and transferred a total of Rs 23.71 lakh in multiple transactions. When Pathak realised he had been tricked, he filed a complaint with the cyber police. Officials have registered a case under cyber fraud sections and have started an investigation.
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24 July 2025
MOIL employee cheated of Rs 6 lakh in fake insurance policy
A MOIL Limited employee was cheated of over Rs 6 lakh on the pretext of a new insurance policy. The victim, Sachin Bhaurao Ramteke (44), a resident of Triratna Nagar, Jaripatka, lodged a complaint at the police station after realizing he had been duped.
According to police, the fraud began on April 10 around 10.30 am when Sachin received a call from a person named Lekhram Rastogi. Lekhram introduced himself as an “Ombudsman Insurance Officer” and warned Sachin that the maturity amount of his SBI insurance policy was uncertain. He claimed there was no guarantee he would receive the full amount. Soon after, Lekhram along with Sitaram Sharma, another man named Sitaram, and Harinarayan Sharma repeatedly contacted Sachin. They convinced him to purchase a new policy from a different company, collected documents from him and gradually took Rs 6,11,287 under the guise of policy payments.
When Sachin realized that he had been misled and the promises were fake, he approached the police. A case of cheating and criminal conspiracy has been registered against the four under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. Police have started further investigation into the scam.
Woman duped in jewellery parcel trick
A 37-year old woman living in the Koradi area fell victim to a cyber scam after a fraudster tricked her into believing her jewellery parcel was stuck at the Police Commissioner’s Office. The accused, identified as Ravi, has been booked under the IT Act and cheating sections by Koradi Police.
The woman, who works in a hospital, received a call from Ravi a few days ago. He claimed her jewellery parcel had been held up at the CP office and could only be released after she paid GST. He assured her that she would receive her jewelry once she deposited Rs 65,000. Trusting him, the woman deposited Rs 48,000 in parts into a bank account provided by the accused.
Later, she realised that she had been cheated. She first lodged a complaint on the cyber crime portal and then approached Koradi Police Station. Based on her complaint, police have registered a case and launched an investigation to trace the accused.
