Mumbai, July 14 (IANS) In a major crackdown on cyber fraud, the Mumbai Police on Tuesday blew the lid off an organised online racket operating on the pretext of selling health insurance to customers. At least 12 individuals have been apprehended, fake call centres busted, and multiple digital devices recovered from fraudsters.
Govandi police in Mumbai busted the gang defrauding people online under the pretext of health insurance policies. The police raided at least three fake call centres in connection with insurance fraud and made recoveries worth over Rs 17 lakh, including computers, laptops, mobile phones, and gold coins.
The case came to light after a complainant lodged a complaint with Govani Police on Jun 22, claiming that the fraudsters approached him posing as representatives from the HDFC ERGO health insurance office.
The victim said in his complaint that the fraudsters falsely claimed that he was entitled to a ‘No Claim Bonus’ of Rs 1,53,825 on the policy and stated that a specific procedure had to be completed to claim this amount.
The callers purportedly obtained his credit card details and fraudulently withdrew Rs 3.43 lakh through online transactions.
The police, during rigorous interrogation of the arrested individuals, found that they targeted customers who held HDFC health insurance policies.
The modus operandi included obtaining data and SIM cards of gullible policyholders and then emptying their bank accounts. The police have also arrested three additional individuals responsible for supplying this data and SIM cards.
The police are currently investigating the entire network to determine how many people were targeted by this scam and to identify other individuals involved in the racket.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Police have urged citizens to stay vigilant in light of insurance-related fraud. Victims of cyber fraud have been urged to contact the national cybercrime helpline 1930 or approach the nearest police station in case of any online fraud.
–IANS
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