A 46-year-old homemaker from Bengaluru fell victim to a cyberfraud in which scammers impersonating police officers allegedly extorted ₹1.25 lakh by falsely claiming that her son had been arrested in a ganja-related case.

According to a complaint registered at the HAL Police Station on June 18, the victim received a phone call at around 12.07 p.m. from an international number. The caller allegedly introduced himself as a police officer and informed her that her son had been detained in connection with a narcotics case.

To make the deception appear genuine, the fraudsters reportedly allowed the victim to speak to another person who impersonated her son over the phone. The caller then claimed that an FIR had to be altered and her son’s vehicle released from the police custody, for which money had to be paid immediately.

Believing the claims to be genuine and fearing legal consequences for her son, the homemaker transferred a total of ₹1.25 lakh through four separate transactions to bank accounts specified by the fraudsters.

The victim later realised that she had been cheated and approached the police.

Based on her complaint, the police have registered a case under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, along with Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, relating to cheating, personation and cyberfraud.

In another incident, a 45-year-old homemaker has lost more than ₹2.12 crore in an elaborate cyberfraud involving a fake part-time job scheme followed by a fraudulent “fund recovery” scam. A case has been registered at the Whitefield Cyber Crime Police Station.

According to the complaint, the victim was initially contacted through Telegram on April 26, 2025, by unidentified persons who offered her a part-time online job. The fraudsters claimed she could earn substantial returns by completing online rating and promotional tasks.

After gaining her confidence, the accused persuaded her to invest increasing amounts of money, assuring her that the invested funds and profits could be withdrawn later. The victim subsequently transferred large sums to various bank accounts and UPI IDs provided by the fraudsters.

When she sought to withdraw her money, the accused allegedly informed her that the funds were stuck and could be released only after making additional payments.

The fraud took a new turn when the victim was later contacted through WhatsApp by another individual claiming to be associated with the Delhi cybercrime police. The caller allegedly assured her that the lost money could be recovered but demanded further payments to process the recovery.

Believing the claims, the woman continued transferring money through RTGS and IMPS transactions to multiple bank accounts across different banks.

The police said the victim transferred a total of ₹2,12,92,767 to the fraudsters. Of this amount, she reportedly received only ₹50,000 back as a withdrawal, which was allegedly used to build her confidence and encourage further investments.

After realising that she had been cheated, the victim approached the police and lodged a complaint.

Based on the complaint, the Whitefield Cyber Crime Police have registered a case under Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act and Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to cheating, impersonation and cyberfraud.