New Delhi:Cyber criminals have now adopted a new method of cheating in which lakhs of rupees are being laundered by using the name and photograph of a senior officer of an organization. In a similar sensational case in Delhi, cyber criminals misused the identity of a senior official of an educational institution and sent a message on WhatsApp to the accountant of the college and instructed to transfer the money immediately. Seeing the name and photograph of the officer, the accountant believed the message and directly transferred Rs 80 lakh from the college's bank account to another account without re-verification. However, the IFSO unit of Delhi Police acted swiftly and arrested the accused within just two days and secured the entire fraud amount of Rs 80 lakh by freezing the beneficiary bank account.
IFSO DCP Gaurav Tyagi said that on October 27, a case was registered in the IFSO Special Cell of the police station under sections 318 (4), 319 and 340 of the Indian Justice Code. The complaint was lodged by Abhishek Jain, general secretary of Rishi Aurobindo Educational Society. This institution runs Chandra Prabhu Jain College of Higher Studies and School of Law located in Narela.
Boss identified on WhatsApp, ordered to transfer lakhs to accountant
Investigation revealed that the cyber thug contacted the accountant of the college through WhatsApp using the name and photo of a senior official of the institute. Introducing himself as a senior officer, he directed to immediately transfer Rs 80 lakh. Considering the message to be genuine, the accountant deposited the amount in IndusInd Bank to M/s N.S. without confirming over phone with the concerned officer. Sent to the bank account operated in the name of traders.
Police investigation reached Ghaziabad, accused caught in two days
Considering the seriousness of the matter, a special team of IFSO immediately started investigation. Analyzing the facts related to banking transactions and transfer of funds, the police traced the beneficiary account of the defrauded amount. Connecting the links of investigation, the police reached Naushad, 33, resident of Loni, Ghaziabad, who was a resident of M/s N.S. Traders has been described as the owner. The police team arrested him from Ghaziabad on 29 October 2026. During interrogation, the accused gave information regarding the involvement of other people in this crime. Police are investigating his revelations and the role of suspected associates.
The entire 80 lakh rupees of fraud was secured, a big success for the police.
The biggest achievement of this action was that the police secured the entire fraud amount of Rs 80 lakh by freezing the beneficiary bank account in time. In this way, the victim educational institution was successful in securing 100 percent of the defrauded amount. Along with this, the holder of the main beneficiary account was also arrested.
Beware of boss impersonation fraud
According to the police, in this type of cyber fraud, criminals mislead employees by using the identity, name and photograph of a senior officer of an organization. In many cases, accountants and financial staff are asked to transfer money in a hurry by creating unauthorized access to WhatsApp accounts or creating fake identities. Seeing the name and photo of the officer, the employees accept the instructions as genuine and lose lakhs of rupees.
Operation carried out under the supervision of IFSO team
This entire operation was carried out under the close monitoring of ACP IFSO Manoj Kumar Mishra and overall supervision of DCP-I IFSO Gaurav Tyagi. The IFSO unit of Delhi Police exposed this cyber fraud through technical investigation, analysis of banking transactions and prompt action.
Delhi Police's appeal
The police have appealed to institutions, companies and common citizens not to be hasty when they receive instructions to transfer money in the name of a senior officer through WhatsApp or other digital means. Before making any major financial transaction, please contact the concerned officer directly on his official number and confirm. Avoid sending money to unknown bank accounts and immediately inform the police if you suspect cyber fraud. At present, the search for other suspects and investigation of their role in the case is going on.