Fake police officer fleeces Bengaluru IT professional by misusing police apparatus for his personal gains
In a shocking incident in Bengaluru, a 29-year-old IT professional, Gautham (name changed) became the victim of well-orchestrated scams involving extortion and false allegations, after booking an escort service through an online platform, getting entangled in deceit, with the perpetrator posing as law enforcement officials in order to extort money from him.
The incident unfolded when Gautham contacted an escort named Amrutha Gill, who introduced herself under multiple aliases, including Roopa, Kushi, and Sonia. He booked her for three hours at Rs 15,000, but upon her arrival, he realized she was much older than claimed. After paying her Rs 16,000, including a cab fare, Roopa suddenly turned aggressive, falsely claiming to be a police officer in mufti and accusing Gautham of criminal activity.
The scam escalated when Roopa snatched Gautham's phone and put a WhatsApp call on speaker mode. The caller, introducing himself as "Hitesh Kumar, an IPS officer," threatened Gautham with arrest unless he paid a hefty sum. As the extortion continued, Roopa took control of Gautham's credit cards, transferring over Rs 8.1 lakh into multiple accounts.
This whole act of deception had been aimed at forcing compliance from Gautham in the garb of having law enforcement authority to awe him into submission. There was an abuse of the police authority, especially that of false accusations, which would shock Gautham; however, it also showed how easy it is to exploit the power of the law for personal gain.
Despite being compelled, Gautham was able to alert hotel staff, who dialled police numbers. Then, Roopa tried escaping, framing Gautham by blaming him for unbecoming conduct and physically assault. Soon the police come and catch hold of her. When thoroughly investigated they found she is using identity papers under an assumed identity and already was involved with similar kinds of scams many times earlier.
The incident reveals growing concerns over the misuse of police authority and increasing cases of digital payment scams. As such fraudulent schemes continue to rise, it is important for individuals to remain cautious and aware of the risks associated with online services, especially those involving payment transactions.
Such a misuse of authority must be condemned from all quarters by the very law enforcement agencies and for which individuals like Roopa must face full repercussions to such actions. The vulnerability of individuals in this sense is starkly depicted by a case like this.
