New Delhi: Dr Indra Taneja transferred money into seven different bank accounts between Dec 26 last year and Jan 9 on being coerced by cyber fraudsters posing as law enforcement officials, according to an analysis of the transactions. She transferred a total of Rs 14.84 crore in eight tranches, police sources said. The first transaction of Rs 1.99 crore was made on Dec 26, followed by two more of Rs 2 crore each on Dec 29 and 30. On Jan 2, another Rs 2 crore was transferred. Indra paid Rs 2.05 more crore on Jan 5, Rs 2.1 crore the next day and Rs 2.2 crore on Jan 8. The final transfer of Rs 50 lakh was done on Jan 9. The pattern reflects sustained psychological pressure and manipulation by the scammers, investigators said.On Jan 10, the fraudsters instructed the couple to visit their nearest police station, claiming that a “clearance certificate” would be issued and the entire amount refunded after verification. It was when Indra went to CR Park police station that the plot began to unravel. As soon as the scammer, who was on a WhatsApp video call with her and claimed to be a policeman by the name of D K Gupta, heard that the SHO would meet her, he “simply vanished”, Indra told TOI. Another person immediately took his place in the call, claiming he, too, was a cop.When Indra handed her phone over to the C R Park SHO, the person started talking to the officer in a rude and authoritative manner. “The fraudster kept on saying, ‘Unka paisa release kar do, tumhare paas order aaya hoga (release her money… you must have got the order),'” Indra recalled the exchange. This led to a heated argument between the SHO and the caller, following which the former told Indra to immediately disconnect the call, explaining to her that it was a clear case of cyber fraud. Indra’s husband, Dr Om Taneja, told TOI that he received a call from another scammer instructing him to tell his wife to immediately leave the police station, but he hung up, having already got the news that they had been defrauded.
