Jabalpur: A 66-year-old retired Indian Railways employee has allegedly been cheated out of ₹74.4 lakh in a sophisticated cyber fraud in which scammers posed as government pension officials and convinced him to transfer his retirement savings under the pretext of a pension verification process.

The Madhya Pradesh Cyber Police have launched an investigation to trace the money trail and identify the fraudsters, who allegedly routed the stolen funds through multiple bank accounts across different states.

Fraudsters Posed as Pension Officials

According to investigators, the victim received a phone call from individuals claiming to represent a government pension department. The callers falsely informed him that discrepancies had been found in his pension records and Aadhaar details, warning that his pension payments could be suspended if the issue was not resolved immediately.

To increase pressure, the fraudsters allegedly claimed that the retiree’s bank accounts were linked to a money laundering investigation involving an international criminal network. They assured him that transferring his money into a so-called “government verification account” was necessary to safeguard his savings and complete the verification process.

Investigators say the victim was instructed to remain on the phone throughout the process and was repeatedly told not to contact family members or bank officials until the verification was complete.

Retirement Savings Transferred in Multiple Transactions

Believing the callers were genuine government officials, the retired employee liquidated his fixed deposits and transferred a total of ₹74.40 lakh through multiple online transactions to bank accounts provided by the fraudsters.

The scam came to light only after the victim later visited his bank to inquire about the verification process and learned that the money had been transferred to fraudulent accounts with no connection to any government agency.

Cyber Police Tracking Multi-State Money Trail

Following the complaint, the Madhya Pradesh Cyber Cell registered a case under relevant provisions related to cheating, forgery, criminal intimidation, and cyber fraud.

Preliminary investigation indicates that the stolen funds were immediately distributed across several mule bank accounts in different states, a common tactic used by cybercriminals to complicate financial tracking.

Cyber investigators are now examining banking records, digital transaction trails, mobile phone data, and internet protocol (IP) logs to identify those involved and recover any remaining funds before they are withdrawn.

Authorities Warn Senior Citizens Against Verification Scams

The incident has prompted authorities to issue a fresh advisory warning pensioners and senior citizens about scams involving fake verification calls.

Officials emphasized that government departments, banks, pension authorities, and law enforcement agencies never ask individuals to transfer money into personal or temporary accounts for verification, investigation, or security purposes.

Citizens are advised to disconnect any suspicious calls demanding urgent financial transactions, independently verify claims through official government offices or bank branches, and avoid sharing banking credentials, OTPs, or personal information with unknown callers.

Victims of cyber fraud are urged to immediately report incidents through the National Cyber Crime Helpline (1930) or the official cybercrime reporting portal to improve the chances of freezing fraudulent transactions.

In one of India’s largest coordinated anti-cybercrime actions, the Delhi Police Cyber Unit traced ₹944 crore during a 48-hour nationwide crackdown, dismantling the financial infrastructure behind organised digital fraud. The mission, codenamed “Operation CyHawk,” spanned 10 states and involved over 5,000 officers and cyber investigators.

4,058 Cyber Complaints Formed the Blueprint

The operation was intelligence-driven, analysing 4,058 cyber fraud complaints registered on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP). Advanced analytics identified:

• Repeated transaction patterns
• High-velocity money movement
• Common beneficiary accounts
• Recurring intermediaries

This approach allowed investigators to map the hidden financial ecosystem sustaining large-scale cybercrime. A senior officer said, “The focus was not on the visible scammer, but on the invisible money network that keeps cybercrime alive.”

Simultaneous Raids Across 10 States

Raids were conducted across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat, Bihar, West Bengal, and Assam. Teams targeted:

• Mule account operators
• Cash collection points
• SIM card distributors
• Digital payment facilitators
• Virtual number service providers

Several accounts were processing hundreds of suspicious transactions daily, with connections to foreign cryptocurrency wallets and offshore channels.

Tracing ₹944 Crore

Using AI-based transaction analysis, banking intelligence, and fintech data, authorities traced the flow of ₹944 crore. Key findings included:

• Extensive use of mule accounts in the names of students, labourers, and rural residents
• Rapid layering of funds across multiple accounts
• Conversion into cryptocurrency to evade detection
• Links to foreign cyber syndicates in Southeast Asia and beyond

A senior official described cybercrime as “industrial-scale financial crime”, emphasizing the need to disrupt its economic backbone.

SIM Networks and Digital Intermediaries Under Scanner

Investigators seized thousands of suspicious SIM cards and scrutinized virtual number servers and third-party payment agents, revealing how anonymity and lax KYC norms facilitated fraud. Several intermediaries are now under regulatory and criminal review.

Towards a Permanent National Anti-Fraud Framework

Authorities plan to institutionalize the Operation CyHawk model via a Financial Data Fusion Centre, enabling real-time coordination among banks, fintech firms, payment wallets, telecom operators, and law enforcement agencies.

A senior officer noted, “Cyber fraud is no longer just a technological offence. It is economic warfare. And this operation struck at its financial nerve.”