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The documents were extremely realistic. The fake arrest warrant served to Oswal was embedded with the ED (Enforcement Directorate) monogram and the logos of the ED and the Mumbai Police. It also bore the signature of a supposed ED official named Niraj Kumar. The industrialist was told to carry his phone everywhere, even to his room, by the criminals.
Fraudsters posing as CBI officials duped Vardhman Group’s Chairman and MD, SP Oswal, extracting 7 crores from him. The crooks pretended to be officials from various agencies, including the Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud. They used fake documents and a virtual courtroom, allegedly to keep the businessman under “digital arrest” and defraud him of his money.
The scam reportedly unfolded on August 28 and 29, when Oswal was informed by the fake officials that he was being investigated for financial irregularities in in a case linked to Naresh Goyal, the former chairman of Jet Airways. The cybercriminals told the businessman that a bank account had been opened in his name, using his Aadhar card details and that this was being misused.
Telling him that he was under investigation, the fraudsters then warned Oswal not to call or text anybody and instructed him to keep his Skype camera on throughout this period. They also set up a virtual courtroom, presided over by somebody who was impersonating as CJI Chandrachud. Using fraudulent documents, including a fake court order, they directed him to deposit Rs. 7 crores into several different bank accounts.
According to Oswal, this experience was highly intimidating. The fake officials imposed over 70 conditions on him, such as not using his phone to contact anybody, and keeping his video camera on at all times. This frightened him so much that he even kept his video on while he was sleeping. Additionally, he was provided with a fake court order, titled “Justice Dhananjay Y Chandrachud Vs. Shri Paul Oswal.”
These fraudsters placed Oswal under what they termed as “digital arrest”, warning him not to discuss the matter with anybody, citing national security. They claimed that he was a suspect in the “money laundering” case, and that they were trying to protect him from being implicated, provided he comply with their instructions. Using these methods to manipulate him, and threatening him with imprisonment, they extracted personal information from him about his family, business, education and even his childhood.
“I was so overwhelmed by their intimidation and assurance that they were going to protect me,” Oswal later told NDTV, saying that the level of detail in the forged documents, as well as the crooks’ impersonation of high-ranking government officials, convinced him of the veracity of the investigation. Notably, the incident came to light when Oswal told his employee about the matter and the latter found inconsistencies in the story.
The police have been investigating the matter and have managed to recover 5 crores from the criminals. Two suspects were arrested from Guwahati. One of them, Anand Kumar, told the police that he was lured into this scheme due to the promise of quick money, which would be used for gaming purposes. However, the alleged mastermind behind the interstate fraud, former bank employee Rumi Kalita, has not been arrested as yet, along with other suspects, Nimmi Bhattacharya, Alok Rangi, Gulam Murtuza and Zakir.
The police have stated that they are looking for the other perpetrators of this fraud and are working towards the investigation. They also revealed that Oswal had transferred money in four installments. Out of this, they have managed to freeze three bank accounts used by the fraudsters.
With Inputs from Hindustan Times and the Business Standard
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