Fraudsters dupe priest posing as Armymen

Kanpur: A priest became a victim of deception when scammers, pretending to be military personnel, swindled Rs 25,000 from him. They concocted a tale that troops would be sent from Kanpur to Pakistan following the Pahalgam incident.
The priest received a telephone call on Tuesday in which the caller claimed that the Prime Minister has authorised military action against Pakistan.
The caller informed him that forces from Kanpur would be sent to Pakistan to retaliate the Pahalgam incident. The fraudsters sought the priest's banking information, supposedly to transfer money for a Rudrabhishek ritual requiring 11 priests and puja items. Upon sharing his account details, funds were immediately withdrawn.
Priest Krishna Bihari Shukla informed TOI about receiving a call on Tuesday afternoon regarding a Rudrabhishek ritual to be performed for military success against Pakistan. After agreeing, he discussed the costs of worship materials, quoting approximately Rs 10,000, including expenses for five additional priests. The caller then arranged a video call with an alleged superior officer, who requested banking information during the ongoing call. His phone was disconnected upon sharing the details. Later, he discovered that Rs 15,500 and Rs 10,000 had been deducted from his account.
Despite the theft, the scammer made five calls on Wednesday morning, falsely claiming accidental transfers and requesting Google Pay activation for refunds. He declined and contacted the authorities.
Inspector Manvendra Singh of Panki confirmed the registration of the case. "The fraud was perpetrated by someone impersonating an Army officer, referencing the Pahalgam attack. The matter remains under investigation," he said. A police official posted at the Cyber Cell said, "This incident serves as a cautionary tale about how criminals adapt their strategies to exploit current events and religious sentiments for financial gain."