Staff Reporter
Panaji
The Goa Cyber Crime Police have arrested a 19-year-old teenager from Haryana in connection with a cyber fraud case involving the impersonation of a South Goa-based private limited company’s chairman. The accused, Nahim Khan, a sales executive with a private firm in Haryana, allegedly played a role in tricking the company’s deputy general manager (accounts) into transferring over Rs 93 lakh. Police have frozen over Rs 71 lakh related to the case.
The incident occurred between December 3 and 4 last year when an unidentified individual used two WhatsApp numbers to impersonate the company’s chairman. The accused contacted the deputy general manager through WhatsApp, claiming to be in an urgent meeting, and directed the complainant to transfer Rs 93,21,414 into multiple bank accounts on an urgent basis.
During the investigation, police traced the money trail to a Layer 1 bank account held by Nahim Khan, who had received Rs 35,60,509. Authorities have frozen Rs 33 lakh from Khan’s bank account and an additional Rs 31 lakh and
Rs 7,57,000 from other related accounts, totaling over Rs 71 lakh.
Explaining the modus operandi, police stated that the complainant received WhatsApp messages from a number displaying the name and photo of the company’s chairman. The impersonator claimed to be in a meeting and urgently provided bank account details, instructing the complainant to transfer large sums of money, which the employee complied with, leading to the fraud.
The public has been warned by cybercrime SP Rahul Gupta to be wary of such fraudulent messages.
from people posing as well-known individuals, using their names and photos, requesting urgent money, and providing bank accounts that are in someone else’s name. “Before transferring money, it is always advised to cross check with the person asking to transfer the money and a/c holder’s name,” he said.
