A railway official was duped out of Rs 9 lakh by ‘CBI agents’ in a bizarre 20-hour video call scam with an ‘online judge’ — here’s what happened

In a shocking case of cyber fraud, a senior railway official in Mumbai was conned out of Rs 9 lakh by fraudsters posing as officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The 59-year-old official, who works as the Principal Chief Electrical Engineer (Construction) at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), was tricked into believing he was involved in a money laundering case and was subjected to a nearly 20-hour video call ordeal that included being "produced" before a fake judge.

The scam unfolds

The incident began on the morning of September 16, when the official received a voice-recorded message on his phone, warning that his mobile would be blocked within two hours unless he pressed ‘0’ for more details. Upon doing so, a video call was immediately initiated, during which a person introduced himself as a CBI officer. The fraudster claimed that the official’s mobile number was linked to a bank account involved in a money laundering scheme worth Rs 5.8 million.

Despite the official’s insistence that he had no connection to any such case and didn’t even have a second mobile number, the fraudsters escalated the situation. They alleged that his details were tied to a network of 247 suspicious accounts, one of which was linked to Naresh Goyal, a name that may have been used to further intimidate the victim.

Manipulation and intimidation

The railway official, caught off guard, was instructed to return home from work immediately so the "CBI officers" could conduct a thorough investigation. Once home, the fraudsters kept him on a video call from 2 PM on Monday until 9:30 AM the next day, collecting extensive personal details about his family, finances, and property.
At the height of the deception, the scammers told the victim that he would be "produced" before a judge via video call. The so-called judge, who appeared during the extended call, accused the official of unauthorised transactions linked to his bank account. The fraudsters then demanded that he provide all his bank details and transfer Rs 9 lakh to a specified account to resolve the matter.

Realisation and aftermath

Following their instructions, the railway official went to his bank and transferred the money through RTGS. However, as soon as the transaction was completed, he realised he had fallen victim to a scam. He immediately approached the bank manager in a bid to halt the transfer, but it was too late—the money had already gone through.
Devastated, the victim reported the incident to Colaba police station, where a case of cyber fraud was registered. The police have launched an investigation into the matter, hoping to trace the fraudsters and recover the stolen funds.

(With inputs from PTI)