Ahmedabad: A major cyber fraud case has come to light in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad where a 73-year-old retired woman allegedly lost more than ₹47 lakh to cybercriminals who impersonated officials of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). The accused reportedly convinced the woman that a large amount of money had been deposited in her name with a government department and could be released after completing certain formalities.
The fraud came to light after the victim grew suspicious following repeated demands for money over a long period of time. She later contacted the national cybercrime helpline 1930 and subsequently filed a complaint at the Cyber Crime Police Station.
According to the complaint, the woman, a resident of the Ghatlodia area in Ahmedabad, received a phone call on April 28, 2022. The caller introduced himself as Jitendra Goswami and claimed to be a senior officer of NPCI. He told the woman that ₹10 lakh linked to a policy of the Life Insurance Corporation of India had been deposited with a government department in her name and could be released once certain procedures were completed.
Multiple Imposters Build Trust Over Time
After the initial conversation, the caller connected the woman with several other individuals who also claimed to be associated with NPCI. Among them was a woman who introduced herself as an NPCI officer based in Mumbai, while others claimed to be senior officials, legal advisors and an IT officer.
The accused allegedly convinced the woman that various legal and administrative formalities were required before the amount could be released. They told her that taxes, stamp duties and other government charges had to be paid first. The fraudsters assured the woman that once these payments were made, a large amount would be transferred to her account.
Trusting their claims, the woman transferred money multiple times between May and December 2022 to bank accounts provided by the accused. Investigators said that during this period the fraudsters managed to collect significant sums by repeatedly demanding payments under different pretexts.
Victim Asked to Open Bank Accounts and Send Account Kits
During the investigation it also emerged that the accused asked the woman to open new bank accounts in her own name. Acting on their instructions, she opened accounts in ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank. She was also asked to obtain a new SIM card and courier the account kits, including passbooks, ATM cards and the SIM card, to an address in Delhi.
Investigating officers suspect that the accused may have used these accounts not only to withdraw money obtained from the victim but also to route funds collected from other victims through the same accounts.
Fraud Continued With Promise of Larger Transfer
The fraud allegedly continued even later. In 2025, the woman received another call from a person claiming to be an NPCI fund transfer officer. He told her that ₹1.48 crore had accumulated in her name with NPCI and that the amount could be transferred to her bank account after paying additional taxes.
Believing the claim, the woman reportedly arranged money by pledging her jewellery and transferred further amounts to the accounts specified by the accused. Later, another individual claiming to be a senior finance manager sent photographs of an alleged identity card and Aadhaar card to gain her trust and asked her to deposit an additional ₹1.12 lakh as tax.
Suspicion Leads to Complaint and Police Investigation
As the demands for money continued and the circumstances appeared increasingly suspicious, the woman eventually realised that she might have been cheated. She contacted the national cybercrime helpline in March 2026 and later lodged a formal complaint with the police.
According to the complaint, the accused allegedly cheated her of a total of ₹47.35 lakh through multiple bank transactions carried out over the years. Police have registered a case against unidentified persons under charges of cheating, criminal breach of trust and cyber fraud.
Investigating agencies are currently examining bank accounts, mobile numbers and courier records used in the case to trace the suspects and identify those involved in the fraud. Authorities said further investigation is underway.
