A prominent private university in Pune has reported a massive financial fraud after cybercriminals posing as senior academics convinced its administrators to transfer Rs 2.46 crore on the pretext of securing joint research projects funded by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The incident, detailed in a First Information Report, highlights a growing wave of sophisticated impersonation scams targeting India’s education sector.
According to investigators, the fraud unfolded between late July and August, when a senior official of the university received a message from a person claiming to be a former chancellor of Savitribai Phule Pune University. The individual directed the official to contact a supposed professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, who allegedly had information on multi-crore research opportunities under DRDO.
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Elaborate Promises of Government Projects
The impersonator, claiming to represent IIT-B, described a Rs 28-crore drone research project sanctioned by the government. The official was asked to deposit Rs 56 lakh, two percent of the project value, as a prerequisite to secure participation. Fraudulent project documents and official-looking emails were shared to bolster the claim.
Over the following weeks, two additional offers followed, promising collaborations on projects valued at Rs 23 crore and Rs 72 crore. In each case, the fraudsters demanded an upfront payment of two per cent of the project value, which the university complied with, transferring Rs 46 lakh and Rs 1.44 crore, respectively.
By late August, when the supposed professor agreed to visit the campus to formalise the agreements, all communication ceased. It was only after contacting IIT Bombay directly that the university discovered the professor’s identity had been misused and no such projects had ever been initiated.
Investigation and Institutional Response
Police officials said the fraudsters had presented “very elaborate details” that lent credibility to their scheme. “We have launched a probe into the contact details and bank accounts used,” a cybercrime officer confirmed.
The university stated that it had standard due diligence procedures in place, but admitted the sophistication of the impersonation allowed the scam to progress. “Once the fraud was detected by internal mechanisms, the transfers were stopped, and a cybercrime complaint was filed immediately,” a spokesperson said.
The case underscores vulnerabilities faced by Indian universities, which are increasingly targeted by cybercriminals exploiting the high stakes of research funding and collaborations with government agencies.