Mysuru: An 81-year-old retired resident of Vijayanagar 2nd Stage was conned out of a staggering Rs. 1.55 crore after falling prey to an elaborate money laundering hoax. The Cyber Economics and Narcotics (CEN) Police have registered a case.

On July 7, the victim received a WhatsApp call from a man posing as a Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) official, alleging his mobile number was linked to a money laundering racket.

The call was then ‘transferred’ to a supposed Mumbai Police official, followed by a third impersonator claiming to be DCP Sandeep Yadav from Colaba Police Station, Mumbai.

The fake DCP claimed that a bank account in the victim’s name at a nationalised bank was being used for illegal transactions and threatened him with a digital arrest unless his funds were verified.

Terrified and convinced, the elderly man transferred Rs. 1.55 crore from two bank accounts to the fraudsters — only to later discover he had been duped.