Mumbai: A 34-year-old widow residing in Kashimira lost more than Rs 6.60 lakh after falling prey to an artificial intelligence (AI) voice scam. Notably, the scamsters turned out to be none other than a couple who were known to the complainant and stayed in the same building located in a posh residential complex in Kashimira. While the woman has been arrested her hubby is absconding.
The complainant who works in a private firm came into contact with the woman identified as- Rashmi Kar (37) and her hubby Deepanjal Vishwas soon after the couple came to stay in her building in a rented flat in November, 2022.
Under the guise of facilitating a job with an attractive annual package of Rs 43 lakh, Rashmi gave her a mobile number which she claimed was of her colleague- Abhimanyu Mehra who would conduct an online interview and complete other formalities for the recruitment process.
The unsuspecting complainant contacted Mehra who assured to help her in securing the job. Both started interacting with each other on phone and also chatted on WhatsApp. After gaining her trust, Mehra lured her into transfering Rs 6.60 lakh in a bank account.
However, whenever the complainant asked about the status of recruitment and insisted on meeting him, Mehra repeatedly avoided by doling out lame excuses. Sensing something fishy, the complainant approached the Kashigaon police station on Wednesday.
During investigations, a team led by senior police inspector- Rahul Patil, found out that the caller was none other than Rashmi who apparently used an AI tool to mimic the male voice of a non-existent Abhimanyu Mehra and lure the complainant with sweet talks. To avoid detection, Rashmi used a bogus sim-card to make the calls.
While Rashmi has been arrested and booked under sections 420 (cheating), 419 (cheating by personation) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code by the Kashigaon police, her hubby who is believed to be her partner-in-crime is still at large. Police sub inspector- Abhijit Londhe is conducting further investigations into the case.
