In a troubling instance of cyber impersonation, an unidentified fraudster created a deceptive email ID mirroring Navi Mumbai police’s cyber cell address and tricked banks into freezing customer accounts. The elaborate ruse has prompted a criminal investigation under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and IT Act provisions, raising concerns over digital trust and procedural lapses in financial institutions.
The Deception: Fraudster Poses as Police to Freeze Bank Accounts
In an audacious cyber fraud, an unidentified individual created a fake email account posing as Navi Mumbai Police’s cyber crime cell to deceive multiple banks into freezing targeted customer accounts. The scheme, discovered only after a cautious bank sought verification of one such email, has revealed a disturbing vulnerability in official communication protocols between law enforcement and financial institutions.
According to a senior police official, the accused used a deceptively crafted email address that closely resembled the cyber cell’s legitimate ID. The fraudulent emails claimed to be official orders, instructing banks to freeze specific accounts citing cybercrime investigations. By exploiting institutional trust in police directives, the perpetrator managed to trigger account restrictions across more than one financial institution.
Red Flag Raised: A Bank’s Caution Unveils the Scam
The elaborate con came to light when a concerned bank, unsure about the legitimacy of an email it had received, directly contacted the Navi Mumbai cyber cell for confirmation. “On verification, it was found that the cyber cell had issued no such communication,” the senior official stated. “This prompted a wider investigation into the origin of the email.”
Authorities soon uncovered that several banks had received similar spoofed emails, each crafted to appear as authentic law enforcement requests. In each case, the intention appeared to be the same: get unsuspecting banks to freeze customer accounts under false pretenses, thereby weaponizing the credibility of the police department.
Cyber experts suggest the fraudster could have been targeting specific individuals or institutions for financial sabotage or personal vendetta. The case also underscores a systemic issue—how easily email spoofing can be used to impersonate legitimate government entities in the absence of a verification framework.
Legal Crackdown: FIR Registered Under BNS and IT Act
A First Information Report (FIR) has been lodged under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 318(1) for cheating and Section 336 for forgery, alongside relevant sections of the Information Technology Act. Law enforcement agencies have launched a full-scale investigation to trace the origin of the emails and identify the perpetrator.
“Such acts not only harm individuals but erode trust in legitimate institutional mechanisms designed to combat cybercrime,” said the official. Investigators are reportedly analyzing server logs, IP addresses, and metadata from the spoofed emails and coordinating with affected banks to obtain technical details of the fraudulent correspondence.
Cybersecurity experts have warned that this type of impersonation scam is part of a growing trend where digital identities of public bodies are being exploited for fraudulent gain. They are urging banks and law enforcement alike to implement digital signature protocols and multi-factor verification when requesting sensitive actions such as account freezing.
Conclusion: A Wake-Up Call for Institutions
This case serves as a wake-up call for India’s financial and law enforcement institutions. As cybercriminals grow more sophisticated in their methods, the reliance on unsecured digital communication must be reevaluated. Until systemic safeguards are adopted—including verified communication platforms and mandatory email authentication protocols—public institutions remain vulnerable to manipulation by faceless digital impostors.