Man posing as MHA official dupes woman of ₹33K, held

NEW DELHI: Police have arrested a man for posing as a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) official and duping a woman of Rs 33,000 on the pretext of recovering a lost mobile phone, officials said on Tuesday.

The accused was identified as Rajesh Kumar (29), a resident of Bharat Nagar in Ghaziabad. He had opened a bank account to receive the money from the woman, they said.

The woman lodged a complaint at Janakpuri police station after she lost her phone and later posted an enquiry on social media, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Ankit Singh said in a statement.

“She then received a call from an unknown number and the caller introduced himself as Anurag Mishra, a PA from MHA,” the DCP said.

To gain the woman’s trust, Kumar shared details of her lost phone and assured her that he would recover it. Believing the accused, the complainant transferred Rs 33,000 to his bank account, he added.

Soon after receiving the money, the accused blocked her number and disappeared. A case was registered and further investigation was taken up, the statement said.

“A special team launched an investigation and tracked the accused to Ghaziabad and apprehended him,”

DCP Singh said.

Kumar had opened a bank account to receive the money from the complainant. Police are now investigating his involvement in similar cyber fraud cases, the officer said.