GUWAHATI: In a recent cybercrime incident, Thangtinngam Lhungam, Deputy General Manager (M) at ONGC, Delhi, fell victim to a fraudulent scheme, resulting in the loss of ₹8.53 lakh from his savings account. The incident occurred on May 8, 2024, and a complaint was subsequently filed with the Cyber Police Station in Panbazar.
Lhungam, a resident of Radha Nagar, Basistha, had issued a cheque on May 1, 2024, to M/s Agarwal Packers and Movers Ltd. for the relocation of his household goods and car from Guwahati to Delhi. As the goods were nearing their destination on May 8, 2024, M/s Agarwal Packers and Movers Ltd. informed him that the cheque had not cleared due to a technical error.
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Concerned about the issue, Lhungam searched for his bank's contact number on Google. He called the number he found, and the person who answered claimed to be a bank official. This individual assured him that a dealing officer from the bank would soon call to resolve the issue.
Within minutes, Lhungam received a call from someone claiming to be the dealing officer. This individual reassured him that the cheque would be cleared shortly. However, soon after, Mr. Lhungam began receiving SMS notifications of transactions from his account. In a matter of minutes, eight transactions were carried out, debiting a total of ₹8.53 lakh from his account.
Following the incident, Lhungam filed a complaint with the Cyber Police Station in Panbazar. The case was registered, and an investigation was initiated under sections 419 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Acting on Lhungam's complaint, the police managed to put a hold on Rs 5 lakh. On June 22, 2024, this amount was credited back to Lhungam's account.
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Talking to GPlus, a source in Cybercrime police station at Panbazar said, "We take such incidents very seriously and are committed to bringing the culprits to justice. In this case, we were able to recover a substantial portion of the lost amount. Our investigation is ongoing to recover the remaining funds and apprehend the fraudsters."
