Uttarakhand cyber-criminal poses as Anakapalli District Collector, dupes RDO of 50,000

In a bizarre cyber crime reported in Anakapalli, a cyber-criminal managed to dupe the Anakapalli Revenue Divisional Office (RDO) by posing as the district collector. A total of Rs 50,000 was lost to the crook in this scam.

According to reports, RDO Chinni Krishna received five gift coupons seeking Rs 50,000 from the accused, who posed as the district collector, Pattanshetti Ravi Subhash. As the message had the collector’s photo, the RDO did not recheck the authenticity of the message. He sent the money and later realised he was cheated. The RDO raised a complaint with the Anakapalli District Police.

The police immediately launched an investigation and arrested a 27-year-old identified as Nikhil Goyal. The cyber-criminal who hails from Rishikesh in Uttarakhand was brought to Anakapalli on a transit warrant on 24 February and sent to remand.

Speaking about the cyber crime incident, the Anakapalli Police warned people to be cautious with such frauds and reminded them to always double-check while doing online transactions. They also added that it has become an everyday affair, as access to pictures of such prominent figures as the collector and superintendent has become easy through the internet.

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