A 43-year-old woman in Hebbal fell victim to a cyber scam where an imposter, posing as a close friend of her father, allegedly deceived her into transferring Rs 1 lakh from her account.
The incident occurred when the fraudster, claiming to be a chartered accountant and using Hindi, informed the woman that her father had instructed him to send money to her. Without receiving or clicking on any links, the victim noticed Rs 1 lakh being siphoned off from her account between 4.45 pm and 5 pm on Wednesday. The perpetrator, addressing her as ‘beta’ throughout the call, provided instructions for checking the funds, during which Rs 25,000 was deducted twice, and Rs 50,000 once, all without requiring OTPs.
Language Barriers and Delayed Response: Woman Faces Challenges Reporting Cyber Fraud at Police Station
Upon realizing the deception, the woman contacted her father, who denied authorizing any such transaction. She then attempted to report the incident at Sadashivnagar police station within an hour of the incident. However, she encountered delays, as the police claimed to be occupied with security duties for the governor and chief minister, and faced language barriers as the station staff could only communicate in Kannada.
Delayed Action and Language Barriers: Victim Criticizes Police Response to Cyber Fraud and Calls for Translators in Bengaluru
The victim expressed frustration with the police’s response and highlighted the need for translators in a cosmopolitan city like Bengaluru. Despite efforts to communicate her situation, the police allegedly postponed taking necessary steps to freeze the miscreant’s account promptly. The woman also revealed that the imposter persistently called her, urging her to answer and promising to return the misappropriated money.
Following the incident, the woman criticized the police’s handling of the case and questioned the readiness of law enforcement to address issues in a diverse and multilingual city. The Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central), Shekhar H Tekkannavar, assured an investigation into the reported apathy by the police.
