Retired Officers in Lucknow Lose Over ₹30 Lakh to Cybercriminals Impersonating Govt Officials

Lucknow: Two retired government officers in the city were cheated of more than ₹30 lakh in separate cyber fraud cases by callers pretending to be officials from security and government agencies. The UP Cyber Crime Police have launched investigations into both incidents.

Retired Teacher Loses ₹12.57 Lakh

In the first case, Gaya Prasad Tripathi, a retired teacher from Rajajipuram, received a call on November 7 from a man who claimed to be an inspector posted at the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) headquarters in Lucknow.
The caller falsely accused Tripathi of having links with Pakistan and claimed that a person named Afzal Khan from Delhi had reported his phone number for suspicious activity.

The fraudster threatened Tripathi with arrest and, pretending to “help” him avoid action, forced him to transfer ₹12.57 lakh.
Based on Tripathi’s complaint, a case has been registered. Inspector Brijesh Yadav said that police have managed to freeze ₹2.5 lakh from the stolen amount. The team is trying to trace the accused using the IP address used during the calls.

Retired Railway Officer Duped of ₹18 Lakh

In the second incident, Tej Bahadur Singh, a retired railway officer from Alambagh, was cheated of ₹18 lakh on November 9.
A caller first posed as an official from the Information Department and claimed that an Aadhaar card linked to Singh’s account had been used in a terror-related transaction. Singh was then told to join another call, which appeared to display an ATS logo—later found to be fake.

The second caller accused him of involvement in transactions with terrorists and claimed a case had been filed against him in Jammu & Kashmir.
The victim was kept under what police describe as a “digital arrest”—constant phone monitoring and intimidation—and was pressured into transferring ₹18 lakh in two instalments. The fraudster also showed fake documents to make the threats seem real.

After realising he had been tricked, Singh reported the matter to the police.

Police Investigation Underway

UP Cyber Crime Police are probing both cases and have warned people not to trust unknown callers claiming to be from government or security agencies. They advise citizens to immediately cross-check with official helplines and avoid transferring money under pressure.