Latest news with #RitaBhasin
Time of India
24-07-2025
- Time of India
Engg student, two others held for duping woman of 56 lakh
Lucknow: The Cyber Crime Police arrested three men, including an engineering student, from Gomtinagar on Thursday for posing as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers and duping a woman of Rs 56 lakh by trapping her in a digital "house arrest". The accused framed the woman in fabricated cases of money laundering and terrorism, psychologically manipulating her into transferring money under the threat of arrest. According to Additional DCP (Crime/Cyber) Vasanth Kumar, the accused impersonated officials from CBI, RBI, and Mumbai Police. They used sophisticated scripts, fake identities, and video calls to create a terrifying illusion of an official crackdown. The victim, Rita Bhasin, received a call on July 18 from someone posing as a CBI officer, who claimed that her Aadhaar card and phone number were being used in hawala operations and illegal financial transactions. The caller alleged that an FIR was lodged against her in Andheri East, Mumbai. The call was then transferred to another impersonator posing as a Mumbai Police officer on a WhatsApp video call, . He showed the woman falsified documents, including a fake arrest warrant and property seizure notice, threatening her with immediate arrest. ADCP Vasanth told TOI that the accused used multiple accounts to circulate the funds and later converted the money into cryptocurrency
Time of India
19-07-2025
- Time of India
Woman, 73, kept in digi arrest for 22 days, loses Rs70L to scammers
Lucknow: A 73-year-old woman from Aishbagh, Lucknow, was trapped by fraudsters posing as CBI and crime branch officers. They kept the woman under "digital arrest" for 22 days and extorted Rs 70 lakh through threats and psychological manipulation. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The cyber cell registered an FIR late on Friday. The victim, Rita Bhasin, whose husband, a senior journalist died a few years ago, recounted that the ordeal began on June 20 when she received a call from a woman identifying herself as Sunita from the "crime branch". The couple has no children. Bhasin was falsely accused of having "illegal earnings" in her bank accounts and was told that the CBI filed a case against her. She was then connected to a man named Vikram Singh, who threatened her with 10 years in jail and a Rs 10 lakh fine if she failed to cooperate. Fearing arrest, Bhasin followed the fraudsters' instructions and transferred Rs 56 lakh to accounts provided by them. When her funds were depleted, they forced her to pawn her gold jewellery, raising another Rs 14 lakh, which she also handed over to them. During this period, the fraudsters restricted her movement, forbidding her from leaving the house or speaking to anyone. She was monitored continuously through video calls, which created a sense of constant surveillance. "It felt like a shadow was watching me at all times," Bhasin said. The scammers threatened to send her to jail if she disconnected calls or informed anyone. Terrified, she remained silent even when she had the opportunity to confide in her bank manager or relatives. The fraud came to light when the criminals, after exhausting her resources, demanded more money and instructed her to arrange funds through family members. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Only then did Bhasin call her brother-in-law, who intervened and exposed the fraud. The fraudsters also collected her sensitive personal and financial documents, including passbook details, Aadhaar, PAN card, and information about her jewellery. Following a complaint lodged by Bhasin at the cybercrime police station, Additional DCP (Cyber Crime) confirmed the seriousness of the case. A Word Of Caution No genuine agency conducts investigations over calls or video chats. Do not share personal, banking, or identity documents (Aadhaar, PAN, passbook) with unknown callers. Always verify the caller's identity by contacting the official agency or local police directly. Never make financial transactions based on threats. Stay connected with family or friends—scammers often isolate victims to control them. Report suspicious calls immediately to the cybercrime helpline 1930 or log a complaint at
