A 40-year-old woman from Noida, Priyanka Bansal, was allegedly scammed out of ₹30 lakh by cybercriminals posing as officials from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The fraudsters falsely claimed that her Aadhaar card had been used to obtain a SIM card linked to illegal activities.

According to her complaint, Bansal received a video call on September 2 from someone claiming to be a TRAI official. The caller informed her that a mobile number, registered with her Aadhaar, was involved in fraudulent transactions. They transferred her to another individual, impersonating a police officer, who sent her documents on WhatsApp bearing the letterheads of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and TRAI, falsely accusing her of money laundering.

The fraudsters threatened Bansal with arrest and claimed her bank accounts would be scrutinized. Under intense pressure and threats, they convinced her to transfer ₹30 lakh in multiple transactions over two weeks, under the guise of issuing a clearance report to protect her personal data.

Despite making the payments, the criminals continued to harass her. On September 23, Bansal lodged a complaint with the Cybercrime police station in Noida, leading to the registration of an FIR.

Police have booked the unidentified suspects under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including extortion, impersonation, and cheating, as well as relevant sections of the IT Act. Investigations are ongoing to apprehend the culprits, according to Vivek Gautam, the officer in charge of the Cybercrime police station, Noida.