Kanpur. A shocking cyber fraud case from Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur has exposed how scammers are increasingly exploiting people through fake government identities and prolonged psychological manipulation. A resident of the Nazirabad area was allegedly cheated out of nearly ₹95 lakh by fraudsters posing as officials of the Reserve Bank of India, who promised to recover money from his lapsed insurance policies. Investigators say the scam continued for nearly a decade through fake documents, repeated payment demands and fabricated official procedures.
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Online Search Led Victim to Fraud Network
According to complainant Jitendra Kumar Srivastava, he had purchased several insurance policies between 2008 and 2012. However, due to non-payment of premiums, the policies eventually lapsed. Years later, while trying to recover the amount linked to those policies, he came across information suggesting that funds from lapsed insurance policies are transferred under RBI supervision. In search of assistance, he reportedly searched online for an RBI helpline number, a move that ultimately connected him to the alleged cyber fraud network.
The victim told police that the caller introduced himself as “Pankaj Singh” and claimed to be an RBI official. The accused allegedly assured him that the money from the lapsed policies could be recovered along with interest. To initiate the process, the caller asked him to share policy papers, Aadhaar card details, PAN information and bank account documents through email. Believing the communication to be genuine, the victim forwarded all the requested documents.
Soon after sharing the information, suspicious transactions allegedly began taking place from his Bank of Baroda account. The complaint states that on February 2, 2017, nearly ₹10 lakh was withdrawn in two separate transactions, followed by another withdrawal of ₹1.14 lakh on February 4. The victim claimed he neither received transaction alerts nor any bank notification regarding the withdrawals. When he questioned the callers, the fraudsters allegedly convinced him that the funds were under an “RBI monitoring process” and would eventually be returned.
Forged RBI Papers Used to Build Trust
The scam allegedly deepened over the years. The victim told investigators that another person identifying himself as “Deepak” later contacted him and claimed to be an authorised RBI representative handling the case. To strengthen credibility, the accused allegedly sent forged RBI letterheads, seals and official-looking documents through WhatsApp. The fraudsters then began demanding money under multiple pretexts, including “code charges”, “file activation fees”, “GST clearance”, “processing charges” and “extension fees”.
Police sources said the victim continued transferring money over several years in the hope of recovering both his policy funds and the amount withdrawn from his bank account. Investigators found that from 2021 onwards alone, nearly ₹95 lakh was deposited into a Union Bank of India account linked to the accused. Despite repeated assurances, neither the policy amount nor the earlier withdrawn money was ever returned.
The complaint further states that even recently, the accused were allegedly pressuring the victim to deposit an additional ₹1 lakh to “complete the final processing”. After years of delays and repeated financial demands, the victim finally realised he had been trapped in an elaborate cyber fraud operation and approached the police.
Police Trace Accounts and Digital Trail
Cyber crime expert and former IPS officer Prof. Triveni Singh said such frauds are often driven by social engineering tactics, where criminals exploit trust in government institutions and official processes. According to him, fraudsters use forged documents, fake caller identities and psychological pressure to convince victims that the process is legitimate and legally backed.
Police have registered a case against Deepak Singh, Pankaj Singh and other unidentified persons under sections related to cheating and provisions of the Information Technology Act. Investigators are now tracing mobile numbers, bank accounts, email IDs and digital transaction trails to identify the accused. Officials suspect the fraud network may have targeted victims in multiple states using similar methods.
