Jaisalmer: A retired employee of Punjab National Bank in Sriganganagar district was allegedly cheated of nearly Rs 26 lakh in a cyber fraud using threats and forged documents, police said Thursday.Paramjit Singh Taneja, 65, a resident of Setia Colony, filed a complaint at the local cyber police station on Jan 2, stating that the fraud began on Dec 23, when he received a video call. The caller kept his face hidden and claimed to be calling from Colaba police station in Mumbai. He accused Taneja of holding an account in Canara Bank and said an ATM card linked to it had been found with a terrorist and used for money laundering.When Taneja denied having any such account and said he had never visited Mumbai, the caller allegedly began threatening him. Taneja told police he was warned not to speak to his family or bank and was threatened with harm to his family if he did not cooperate.Police said the accused sent a series of fake documents to Taneja on WhatsApp on Dec 24, including a forged notice purportedly from Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, a PDF showing a fake ATM card in his name, a fake arrest warrant said to be from Enforcement Directorate, and a fake notice of a money laundering case allegedly from CBI. The scammers also sent photos claiming multiple ATM cards linked to Taneja’s account had been recovered from a suspect.The accused then made WhatsApp voice calls and sought details of Taneja’s fixed deposits, mutual funds, and savings accounts, which he shared out of fear. He was instructed to break his fixed deposits and transfer the funds for verification, with an assurance that the money would be returned if his details were found correct.Taneja went to Punjab National Bank and broke three to four FDRs totalling Rs 14,19,770, depositing the amount into his savings account. He then transferred the money via RTGS to a Yes Bank account at the East Punjabi Bagh branch in New Delhi, in the name of AP Trading Company.On Dec 25, the accused allegedly continued calling for long hours, claiming Taneja was under surveillance and ordering him not to leave home or allow visitors. He was also told to keep his phone charged and not let the battery drop below 50%. Taneja said the calls continued for 16 hours at a stretch, leaving him sleepless and distressed.On Dec 26, the scammers allegedly forced him to break another FDR worth Rs 11,52,260 and transfer it to another account said to be linked to IndusInd Bank. After the transfers, the accused stopped responding. When Taneja called again on Jan 2 and got no reply, he realised he had been cheated and filed a complaint.Police said bank accounts involved were being tracked to identify the account holders and trace the money trail.
