In Kolhapur’s ‘biggest’ cyber con, retired professor duped of Rs 3.6 crore

KOLHAPUR: A 75-year-old retired professor fell victim to cybercriminals who coerced her into transferring Rs 3.6 crore through 14 transactions between April 21 and May 16, 2025.

This is the largest cyber fraud case recorded in Kolhapur city.The fraudsters, impersonating Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and Mumbai police officers, contacted the elderly woman about an alleged case registered at the Colaba police station. They claimed Rs 6 crore from an aviation firm owner's fraudulent activities had been deposited, using her Aadhaar card, in her account at a nationalised bank in Mahim.The perpetrators warned of legal consequences and arrest unless the retired professor complied with their verification process and sought her banking information. Through WhatsApp video calls, they pressured her to transfer funds to various private bank accounts.The elderly academic exhausted funds from three personal accounts, three joint accounts with her husband, and four accounts belonging to her husband.

The transfer amounts ranged from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 60 lakh, according to police reports.The academic had retired from the Shivaji University-Kolhapur in 2013, and her husband retired in 2005. The couple have a daughter, who is a doctor and resides in Tarabai Park.The elderly woman later told her daughter and son-in-law about what had happened, and they subsequently reported the matter to authorities. A complaint was lodged at Rajarampuri police station on Tuesday evening.Speaking to TOI, inspector Sushant Chavan, the investigating officer, said, "The woman really believed that she was going to be arrested as she was told by the caller that they would arrest her and make the news of it public. She was also told not to tell anyone about the case against her, which was totally made up. We asked her if she had never heard the caller tune messages on not getting scammed by people claiming to be from CBI or the customs office.

She told us she was aware of the message, but somehow forgot it."Chavan said three officers, including himself, have initiated the investigation. "We have asked the banks concerned to stop the transactions from the accounts where the money has been transferred by the victim. We are going to find the connections between the calls made, as they were made from nine different numbers. We are going to trace Internet Protocol addresses for all the calls made using the internet," said Chavan.The victim's statement indicated that video calls featuring Supreme Court bench proceedings and individuals seated before a Mumbai Police board convinced her of their authenticity.