CBI launches probe into ₹1.04 crore pan-India parcel scam involving fake Mumbai officials.
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Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has launched an investigation into a case wherein a 75-year-old man from Thrissur in Kerala was duped by a group of scammers to the tune of over Rs 1 crore by posing as Mumbai Customs and Mumbai Cyber Crime Department officers falsely claiming that the complainant was sending a parcel containing drugs to Russia and was under investigation.
According to the CBI, on 20.07.2024 with the intention to defraud the complainant and extort money, the complainant received a call on his mobile number from an unknown person who introduced himself as an executive working in a courier office in Mumbai.
The caller informed that a package, allegedly sent from Mumbai to Russia booked in the name of the complainant had been intercepted by Mumbai Customs due to suspicion that it contained illegal drugs, and this case was being investigated by the Cyber Crime Department.
After the initial conversation, the call was transferred to another individual who claimed to be an inspector in the Cyber Crime Department in Mumbai who told the complainant that his bank would need to be verified as part of the investigation and that once verification was complete, the matter would be cleared.
According to the complainant, he believed that the call was legitimate and subsequently under the instruction from the caller, transferred money saved in his bank account into three bank accounts, provided by the caller for the alleged verification and clearance process.
The complainant transferred a total sum of Rs 1.04 crore between 22.07.2024 and 24.07.2024 into the bank accounts provided by the caller and after the money was remitted in the account of the caller, the complainant got to know that he had been defrauded.
A case was registered in this regard at the Cyber Crime Police Station, Thrissur City, Kerala, but the complainant later approached the Kerala High Court seeking a probe from an independent agency such as the CBI.
The Hon’ble High Court of Kerala in a judgment dated 28.03.2025 directed the CBI to take over the investigation of the case stating that it is a case of massive financial fraud and the petitioner has sustained a huge financial loss.
“It appears from the available records that the perpetrators and the transactions are spread over across the nation. There is every likelihood that territorial and jurisdictional limitations may arise, hindering an effective investigation. Considering the severity of the crime, the large financial loss incurred by the petitioner and the need for a thorough investigation involving multiple state police forces, I am of the view that the prayer sought for can be allowed,” the court stated. The CBI took over the probe last week.
