Udupi woman loses Rs 65 lakh to cyber fraudsters posing as Mumbai police officers

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, Jul 20, 2026: A 66-year-old woman from Udupi was allegedly duped of Rs 65 lakh by cyber fraudsters who impersonated Mumbai police officers and threatened her with arrest in a fake money laundering case.

According to the complaint filed by Sheela, she received a WhatsApp message on July 13 from a person claiming to be an officer of the Mumbai Police. Soon afterwards, she received a video call from the same number. The caller, dressed in a police uniform, introduced himself as an inspector attached to the Mumbai Colaba Police Station.

The fraudster first asked whether anyone else was present at her home. After learning that she was alone, he told her not to panic and falsely claimed that Rs 20 crore had been deposited into her bank account. He further alleged that a money laundering case had been registered against her, that an arrest warrant had been issued, and that the Mangaluru police would soon arrest her.

The accused then instructed the woman to disclose details of all her bank accounts and allegedly made her share photographs of her bank documents. Claiming that the serial numbers of the currency in her accounts had to be verified to prove her innocence, they directed her to transfer the money to bank accounts specified by them.

Between July 13 and July 17, the fraudsters repeatedly contacted her through WhatsApp calls and, under the guise of verification, convinced her to transfer a total of Rs 65 lakh.

After realising that she had fallen victim to a scam, the woman lodged a complaint with the Udupi CEN Police Station.

Police have registered a case under Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act and Sections 111(4), 319(2), 308(2), and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). An investigation is underway.