Mumbai Cyber Fraud Alert: 87-Yr-Old Retired Civic Doctor Loses ₹16 Lakh While Trying To Contact BMC's Pest Control Department

Mumbai: An 87-year-old retired civic doctor from Mumbai was duped of Rs 16.14 lakh while trying to contact the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for pest control services. The senior citizen, who retired from BMC in 1997, resides in a residential society on Linking Road in Khar (West) and had been seeking pest control assistance for her society within BMC’s H West ward.

Woman Posing As BMC Employee Started The Con

On December 20, 2024, while searching for contact details online, she came across a number on Google and called it, assuming it belonged to the civic body’s pest-control department. A woman answered the call, posing as a BMC employee, and asked the complainant to pay Rs 50 as a registration fee, assuring her that no further payments would be required.

Despite the retired doctor clarifying that her mobile was not linked to her bank account, the fraudster insisted on the Rs 50 payment and sent a malicious link for registration. Upon clicking the link and entering her details, the victim’s phone was compromised, reported Hindustan Times.

While she was still on the call, she received a message informing her that Rs 1.85 lakh had been debited from her Kotak Mahindra Bank account. When she questioned the deduction, the scammer falsely claimed that Rs 1 lakh would be refunded, which led the victim to disconnect the call.

Over 40 Transactions Made To Siphon Off Money

Initially relieved to find no transactions had occurred when she visited three of her banks the following day, the victim assumed the issue was resolved. However, in late January, during a routine visit to update her passbook at Punjab National Bank, she was shocked to discover over 40 unauthorised transactions had taken place between December 20, 2024 and January 22, 2025, amounting to Rs 13.35 lakh. Further inquiries at her Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank accounts revealed more unauthorised deductions made days after her previous checks.

Realising the full extent of the fraud, the senior citizen reported the incident to the cybercrime helpline. She alleged that the scammer, impersonating a BMC official, had accessed her financial data without her knowledge and siphoned off a total of Rs 16.14 lakh in multiple transactions. An FIR has now been registered at the West Cyber Police Station against the unidentified woman.

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