Mumbai, Aug 27 (PTI) A 68-year-old woman, a south Mumbai resident, was allegedly cheated of Rs 7.21 crore by cyber fraudsters who threatened to implicate her in money laundering and terror funding cases, police said on Thursday.

The fraudsters also made her open an account on a cryptocurrency platform and transfer funds to a crypto wallet, an official said.

The victim, who had retired from a private company in 2024, received a call in April from a man who identified himself as 'Rajkumar Das', an official of the National Data Protection Board of India. He claimed that her mobile number had been used in a cybercrime linked to money laundering and for funding the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) and terrorists.

The woman was subsequently contacted through a WhatsApp video call by a person who identified himself as 'John Mathew', an Assistant Commissioner of Police attached to Panchavati Police Station in Nashik.

'Mathew' sent her notices and orders purportedly issued by a a court, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

On the pretext of helping her prove her innocence, the fraudsters forced her to transfer money to various bank accounts and the crypto wallet. The woman, in a state of panic, broke her fixed deposits, redeemed mutual funds, and transferred money as instructed.

Subsequently, she conducted search on the internet and realised that she had fallen victim to a cyber fraud.

After she lodged a complaint on cybercrime helpline 1930, the South Region Cyber Police registered a case and further probe was on, the official added. PTI ZA KRK