Ranchi: In a shocking incident of cyber fraud, a retired railway employee in Dhanbad district’s Tetulmari police station area was duped of ₹18 lakh by fraudsters posing as railway officials. The scammers contacted the elderly man by phone, pretending to be from the Dhanbad Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) office, and tricked him into revealing his bank details by claiming they needed the information to process his pension.
The incident took place on June 4. The victim received a call from an unknown number where the caller introduced himself as an officer from the DRM office. He told the retired employee that his pension process was pending and required his bank account information and OTP (One-Time Password) for verification. Trusting the caller, the elderly man shared the requested details. Soon after, ₹18 lakh was withdrawn from his account and transferred to four different accounts.
After realizing he had been scammed, the victim’s family quickly reported the incident to the Tetulmari police and the local cyber police station. A written complaint was also filed with the Jharkhand State Cyber Crime Investigation Department (Cyber CID), which has since launched an investigation. Authorities are working to trace the bank accounts involved.
The cyber cell has issued a public advisory, urging citizens to be cautious and not to share sensitive information such as OTPs or bank details over the phone. They reiterated that no government agency or bank ever asks for such details over calls. In case of suspicious activity, people are encouraged to immediately call the national cyber helpline at 1930 or file a complaint at www.cybercrime.gov.in.