Maharashtra Deputy CM's wife files FIR case against designer; cites threat, attempts to bribe her
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's wife Amruta Fadnavis has filed a police case against a "designer" for allegedly trying to offer her money to intervene in a criminal case as well as threatening her, a police official said here on Thursday.
On Amruta's complaint, a first information report (FIR) was registered on February 20 at the Malabar Hill police station against the woman, identified by her as Aniksha, and her father, the official said. No one has been arrested in the case so far, the official said.
As per the FIR, Aniksha was in touch with Amruta for the past 16 months and also visited her residence.
In her statement to the police, Amruta said she first met Aniksha in November 2021.
Aniksha claimed that she was a designer of clothes, jewellery and footwear and requested the deputy CM's wife to wear them at public events saying it would help her promote the products, said the official from Malabar Hill police station.
Aniksha allegedly told Amruta that her mother was no more and she was taking care of her family's finances, the official said.
After gaining Amruta's trust, Aniksha offered to provide her with information on some bookies through which, she claimed, they could make money, the official said.
She then directly offered Amruta Rs 1 crore to get her father off the hook in a police case, said the official.
Amruta told the police that she was upset by Aniksha's behaviour and blocked her number, the official said.
The woman then allegedly sent Amruta video clips, voice notes and many messages from an unknown number. She and her father indirectly threatened and conspired against Amruta, said the official citing the FIR.
The city police have registered the FIR against Aniksha and her father under Indian Penal Code sections 120-B (conspiracy) and the Prevention of Corruption Act sections pertaining to using corrupt and illegal means to induce a public servant.
An investigation is underway and no arrest has been made so far, the official added.
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In a first, Bengaluru woman loses Rs 2 lakh after pressing ‘1’ on fake IVR call: Report
Bengaluru: In what appears to be the first such cybercrime reported in Bengaluru, a 57-year-old woman reportedly lost Rs 2 lakh after following instructions and pressing a key during a fake IVR (Interactive Voice Response) call from a nationalised bank.
The woman, a resident of Dattatreyanagar in Hosakerehalli, received a call that appeared to be from the State Bank of India (SBI), a bank she holds an account with. The IVR message claimed that Rs 2 lakh was being transferred from her account and instructed her to press '1' if she did not authorize the transaction, as reported by the Times of India on Thursday.
"I was shocked on hearing the voice note as I had not done any such transaction. I didn't press any number. The voice note repeated, saying that I have not responded. I was confused. After three rounds of such announcements, I pressed 1 as I had not initiated the transaction. Soon after that, there was a second announcement stating, ‘Please visit your bank and contact the manager immediately.' Subsequently, the call got disconnected," she told the national daily.
Shortly after, the call disconnected, and she discovered a Rs 2 lakh loss in her account. She immediately contacted her bank and filed a complaint with the police.
Meanwhile, a senior police officer explained that fraudsters often use IVR calls to ask for personal details like the last four digits of a debit card, bank account number, date of birth, email ID, or other information needed to access online banking. "Once the victim shares the information, the money is siphoned off. Without sharing the credentials, it is not possible to siphon off money just by pressing the options 3 or 1 or 9," he told TOI.
The officer noted that the victim may have shared some information in response to the voice message, which could have allowed the fraudsters to access her account and steal the money. If she didn't provide any details, this type of scam would be new to them, and the investigation will provide more clarity.
A case has been registered under the Information Technology Act and BNS section 318 (cheating).
