CBI begins manhunt for fraudsters who duped Tamil Nadu resident using PMO ploy

Following a tip-off from the Prime Minister’s Officer (PMO), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) began investigating the scam in which a Tamil Nadu native was duped of thousands of dollars by using the competition name “Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC)” along with the Prime Minister’s picture and a fake ID CBI personalities.

According to officials, a written complaint was received through the PMO from a resident of Erode district in Tamil Nadu, alleging that he was cheated by two companies – KBC Mumbai and KBC Kolkata. According to officials, scammers cleverly used KBC’s name to convince him that he had won the lottery.

He was initially told that he had won Rs 25 million from KBC Mumbai, which was later inflated to Rs 15.6 million. The scammers subsequently brazenly told him that he had won another prize of Rs 75 million from KBC Kolkata, officials said, adding that the claim was later inflated to Rs 2.75 crore.

“The companies had demanded multiple tax payments totaling up to Rs 2.91 lakh, which the petitioner paid in installments between 2022 and 2023 to get the ‘cash prize’. The fraudsters used a fake identity card which bore the name of one Nandini Sharma, who was shown as a special CBI officer,” said an official privy to the investigation. Fraudsters also used the Prime Minister’s image on documents to induce the applicant to transfer money, the official added.

‘CBI officer’ Sharma then promised the man the prize money by asking him to pay the money for a ‘CBI security check’. The scammers also shared a photo of the SUV, claiming it was part of a lottery and charging a “traffic tax,” officials said. He finally realized the fraud when he did not receive the money, prompting him to file a complaint with the PMO.

On Friday, the CBI registered a case of criminal conspiracy, impersonation of a government servant), cheating and other charges.