Changanassery: A doctor from Changanassery narrowly escaped a massive financial loss after being tricked into transferring Rs 5 lakh to fraudsters claiming to be Mumbai Police. Swift action by the bank and local authorities helped recover a significant portion of the cheated amount.

The incident occurred on Tuesday when the doctor, in a state of panic, visited the Perunna branch of the State Bank of India (SBI) and transferred Rs 5 lakh to another account. The bank's internal security system flagged the transaction, which was linked to a North Indian account, raising suspicion of fraud. Acting promptly, the bank alerted the police, who intervened immediately.

Under the instructions of the DySP, officers reached the bank, obtained the doctor's address, and visited his residence in Perunna. Initially, the doctor insisted that the money was sent to a friend and refrained from filing a complaint. However, upon examining his mobile phone, the police discovered he had been receiving video calls from individuals impersonating Mumbai Police officers. These fraudsters had demanded additional payments, effectively placing the doctor under virtual arrest through threats.

The situation took a critical turn when the fraudsters called again. This time, the police answered the call, but the scammers, noticing the uniformed officers, disconnected and switched off their phone.

To prevent further losses, the police accompanied the doctor to the Changanassery SBI branch, registered a complaint through the toll-free fraud helpline 1930, and froze the recipient’s account. Despite the fraudsters managing to withdraw Rs 4.3 lakh, the coordinated efforts of the Thiruvananthapuram Cyber Operation Team, SBI and Changanassery Police minimised the financial damage. Authorities are now working to recover the remaining amount.