₹1.40 crore scam: Cyber Command arrests four in Bengaluru university fraud

Sleuths of Cyber Command Unit have busted a ₹1.40-crore cyber fraud in which a gang allegedly impersonated a university president on WhatsApp and duped an accountant into transferring ₹1.40 crore from the institution’s bank account. Four persons have been arrested and ₹8.50 lakh in cash and four mobile phones have been seized.

The case came to light after Santosh A.S., an employee of a private deemed-to-be university, approached the police on September 9 and reported that an unidentified person had created a fake WhatsApp profile using the photograph of university president Chenraj Roychand and a new mobile number.

According to the complaint, on September 8 at around 10.03 a.m., the fraudster contacted university accountant Vinay Bhushan, posing as the president, and enquired about the balance in the university’s bank account. At around 11.34 a.m., the accused instructed him over WhatsApp to transfer ₹1.40 crore. Believing the message to be genuine, the accountant transferred the money.