Chandigarh: UT cyber police have filed a case against an unknown person for allegedly duping a city-based firm of nearly Rs 2 crore by impersonating the company’s managing director on WhatsApp. Police said they are tracking the money trail to identify those involved in the fraud. No arrests have been made so far.According to the complaint filed with the cyber police, the incident occurred on April 15, 2026. The complainant, Sanjeev Agrawal, a resident of Shivalik Enclave, NAC Manimajra, said that at around 1.35pm, the firm’s accounts officer, Neha, informed him that she had transferred Rs 1.96 crore after receiving instructions on WhatsApp from a person impersonating as the company’s managing director.As per the complaint, the WhatsApp messages instructed the accounts officer to urgently transfer the amount to a specific bank account provided by the sender. Acting on the message, she transferred the funds through NEFT. Agrawal stated that at the time, the WhatsApp profile carried the name and photograph of the company’s managing director, giving the impression that the instructions were genuine.However, upon verification, it was discovered that the messages had not been sent by the managing director. Agrawal said the WhatsApp account used for the fraud was linked to mobile number, 916026870882, which was different from the MD’s actual contact number despite having the same display name and photo.After discovering the fraud, the company immediately contacted its bank and also approached officials of the recipient bank, requesting them to freeze the beneficiary account. However, the complainant stated that they were informed that the money had already been transferred to multiple other accounts.Following this, Agrawal lodged a formal complaint with the UT cyber police and submitted details of the transactions. After verifying the facts, police registered a cheating case against unknown persons under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and initiated an investigation. Police officials said they are analysing transaction details and following the money trail to trace the fraudsters involved in the case.MSID:: 130353375 413 |
