Jharkhand man arrested for duping retired officers using stolen government data

A shocking case of cyber fraud has come to light, where a Jharkhand-based cybercriminal stole data from government websites and used it to cheat retired officers and pensioners. The accused, Prashant Kumar Mandal, would target government officials who were about to retire. As soon as they retired, he would call them pretending to be an officer from the State Treasury Department and claim that their pension verification was pending.

He would then threaten that their pension could be stopped if they did not verify their details immediately. Many retired officers, scared and trusting the caller, shared their personal and banking details.

Prashant would then send them a fake verification link that looked like an official government portal. The link was actually a phishing website, where victims entered their bank details, PAN number, and OTPs — allowing the fraudster to access their accounts and steal money.

After receiving several complaints from pensioners, the Bhopal Crime Branch’s Cyber Cell began an investigation. Technical analysis of phone calls and bank transactions led the team to Jharkhand, where they arrested Prashant Kumar from Ranchi.

Police seized multiple mobile phones, SIM cards, and lists of retired officers from his possession. During questioning, Prashant confessed that he had collected officers’ data from public government websites and had been calling several people daily to cheat them.

Further investigation revealed that he had already duped a retired DSP from Indore of around ₹2.5 lakh about one and a half years ago. At that time, a complaint was filed, but no FIR was registered. After Bhopal Police informed Indore Police about the arrest, a formal case was registered, and Indore Police took custody of the accused.

According to police, Prashant specifically targeted retired government employees, pretending to be a Treasury Department officer, and used the pension verification excuse to commit fraud. The investigation is ongoing, and police believe he may have cheated more people across different states.

Police appeal: Pensioners and government retirees are urged not to share personal or banking details over the phone, and to verify any official communication directly with their respective departments.