Pune: A 69-year-old man from Budhwar Peth has lodged a complaint with Vishrambaug police, stating that online fraudsters cheated him of Rs 29.15 lakh between Aug 14 and 28 after threatening to arrest him in a money laundering case.The suspects posed as officials of Nashik police and claimed that the elderly man, who belongs to a prominent priest family, was involved in money laundering and had also advertised an illegal business online.According to the police, the suspects made a video call to the complainant. They were wearing police uniforms, and a police station background was allegedly set up.“The suspects told the complainant that his bank account had received money from a suspect involved in a money laundering case, and this made the complainant involved in the racket. They claimed that he was also a beneficiary of an illegal business,” police said.The suspects then sought details of his bank accounts, which the complainant shared. He also shared fixed deposit accounts with them, police said.The suspects threatened to arrest and told him that it would defame him and his family, police said.The suspects then promised to help him in the case and asked him for money to settle. They shared details of four bank accounts with him, and the complainant subsequently transferred Rs 29.15 lakh.
