Sikkim: Gangtok man files fraud case after impersonation scam

A case of impersonation and fraud has been registered at Sadar Police Station under FIR No. 101/2024 following a complaint from Prakar Pradhan, a 24-year-old resident of Deorali. The FIR, filed under sections 308(2)/318(2)/319(2) of the BNS 2023 and Section 66D of the IT Act 2000, accuses an unknown individual of defrauding Pradhan through a sophisticated scam.

According to the complaint, Pradhan was contacted by someone posing as a Fed employee named Aman Gupta (Employee ID: Fdx28165) via a voice call on July 17, 2024. The impersonator informed Pradhan that a parcel containing an expired passport, debit cards, clothes, a laptop, and MDMA had been received by an individual named Abu Kazim, with a tracking ID 476210853168.

The scammer, who initially showed his ID before turning off the video feed, instructed Pradhan to share his screen and provide his Aadhar card for verification purposes. Pradhan was further manipulated into adding two accounts as beneficiaries to his YONO account. The impersonator then threatened to have Pradhan arrested on narcotics charges if he did not comply with further demands.

Growing suspicious, Pradhan requested the scammer to turn on the video, leading to a confrontation and the eventual disconnection of the call. Pradhan froze his SBI account quickly and alerted the bank to freeze the accounts added by the fraudster.

The Sadar Police have initiated an investigation into the case and are taking necessary legal actions to identify and apprehend the culprit