Cyber conmen run a bloodbath: Lucknow loses nearly ₹200 cr in 6k-plus cases of cyber fraud in 9 months

Hundreds of unsuspecting citizens are falling prey to instances of cyber fraud with people in Lucknow losing nearly ₹200 crore between January and September this year in over 6,532 total cyber fraud cases registered in the state capital, according to details accessed by HT.

Sample this. Pradeep Kumar Sarna, 68, a Rajajipuram resident, and a retired Punjab National Bank employee lost his entire savings of ₹12.75 lakh to a cyber criminal who called him pretending to be a bank credit card issuer, which he had applied for. The cyber conmen were able to get access to his cell phone and transfer the entire amount on August 8.

Sarna is now clueless and runs from pillar to post to get his money back.

Similarly, a 30-year-old woman from Lucknow (name concealed), who worked in a private job before saving ₹ 8–9 lakh and lost it all due to the machinations of cyber criminals. She is the sole provider for her family of four, which includes her three younger brothers, for whom she also pays for their education.

“She chose to trade her money on a trading site run by cyber criminals in order to make extra money so that she could provide her siblings with a better education. She eventually found a WhatsApp group where she traded her money and lost all her savings instead of making anything,” said Brijesh Yadav, station house officer of the cyber police station in Lucknow where the woman lodged her FIR.

The majority of cyber fraud cases are either reported to the cybercrime police station in Vibhuti Khand or the cyber police cell at the Hazratganj police station of Lucknow police. Besides, cyber cases are also reported at local police stations. But when the cyber cell and cyber PS data of over the first half of 2024 were collected (between January 1-September 30), the total amount came to approximately ₹1,92,34,24,000.

“A total amount of ₹147 crore is registered. As many as 170 cyber crime cases were registered in this year till September 30, and 124 cases from the previous year with a total of 300 plus FIRs are registered,” said SHO Brijesh Yadav.

Similarly, inspector Satish Sahu of the cyber cell at Hazratganj said, “A total amount worth ₹45,34,24,000 was reported in as many as 6362 cases between Jan 1 and September 30 this year.”

According to them, the other cases lodged in local police stations will easily be worth crores, bringing the total to ₹200 crore.

AVERAGE CASES PER DAY

The cyber cell at Hazratganj gets an average of 35 to 40 cases on a daily basis, according to inspector Satish Sahu.

Similarly, SHO Brijesh Yadav of cyber police station said they get at least 10-15 cases daily of people losing a big amount.

RECENT BIG INSTANCES OF CYBER FRAUD

A woman teacher of a government school in Agra lost her life allegedly due to panic leading to cardiac arrest after cyber criminals tried to extort money from her. She was misled into believing that her daughter was caught in a scandal and she would be let off only after ₹1 lakh was paid. The panic-stricken teacher lost her life while being taken to hospital on September 30 despite her son verifying that everything was fine.

A woman doctor of Lucknow’s SGPGI was duped of ₹2.81 crore after she was ‘digitally arrested’ by the cyber thugs posing as CBI officers. Police have arrested a total of 18 people so far.

In June 2024, a cyber fraud impersonating Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU) officials siphoned off ₹120 crore from its Union Bank of India bank account by creating fake email IDs and documents. The fraud was detected when a bank branch manager raised suspicions about transfers to a charity in Gujarat. However, police recovered ₹119 crore of the stolen money and returned it to AKTU’s account.

MOST COMMON INSTANCES OF CYBER FRAUD

Online trading and work-from-home opportunities

Digital arrest by men posing as ED, CBI, Mumbai crime branch, and custom officials

Life insurance, OLX fraud