Rajendranagar Businessman Duped of Rs 75 Lakh in WhatsApp Impersonation Fraud

A businessman based in Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, was allegedly cheated of Rs 75 lakh after cyber fraudsters impersonated an acquaintance on WhatsApp and orchestrated the collection of cash in Ahmedabad.

According to police, the victim, Rohit Kumar Narendra Kumar Jain, operates a plywood business named Sumit Interior in Rajendranagar. The incident took place while Jain was on a trip to China, where he received a WhatsApp message from an individual posing as Prithviraj Kothari, a person known to him through his residential community.

The impersonator claimed that he urgently needed Rs 75 lakh in Ahmedabad and assured Jain that the entire sum would be repaid through another person. Believing the request to be genuine, Jain arranged the funds through an associate in Hyderabad. The cash was subsequently dispatched to Ahmedabad through a courier service.

The fraudsters instructed that the consignment of cash be handed over to an individual identified as Babu Bhai upon its arrival in Ahmedabad. However, immediately after the money was collected, the individuals involved ceased all communication and stopped responding to messages and calls.

Upon realising that he had been duped, Jain approached the police. A Zero FIR was initially registered in Hyderabad and subsequently transferred to the Kalupur Police Station in Ahmedabad, where the case was re-registered for a detailed investigation.

The Ahmedabad police reviewed CCTV footage and examined other available evidence from the collection point to trace the individuals who retrieved the money. The probe led investigators to Bharat Goswami, who was traced and arrested in Ahmedabad.

Police officials stated that they are continuing to investigate Goswami's specific role in the fraud operation while working to trace and identify other members belonging to the cyber fraud network.