Scammers pose as MD, siphon 45L from PGVCL

Rajkot: In a major cyber fraud, scammers posing as the managing director on WhatsApp duped Paschim Gujarat Vij Company Limited (PGVCL) of over Rs 45 lakh by tricking its general manager (finance) into transferring funds.Complainant Kintukumar Malkan has filed a case with the Rajkot city cybercrime police against the holder of the WhatsApp number and the linked bank account.According to the complaint, Malkan received a message on May 4 from an unknown number displaying the profile picture of MD Ketan Joshi. The sender claimed it was his ‘personal' number and asked Malkan to save it, before sharing bank details and seeking an urgent transfer.The sender then shared bank details and instructed Malkan to urgently transfer Rs 45.60 lakh. A second set of bank details followed later, with directions to transfer over Rs 30 lakh. Believing the request to be genuine, Malkan executed the first transaction. The fraud surfaced when he later met Joshi and verified the messages.Deputy commissioner of police (crime) Jagdish Bangarwa said Malkan mistook the number for the MD's personal contact and proceeded with the transfer.Preliminary investigation revealed that the recipient account is based in Siliguri, West Bengal. Police have frozen around Rs 33 lakh, while the remaining amount was diverted to another account.Investigating officer S D Gilva said banks have been asked to provide KYC details of the account holders and information on linked accounts to trace the money trail. A team is likely to visit Siliguri as part of the probe.Following the incident, Joshi acknowledged the lapse and said the company has issued instructions prohibiting financial transactions based on informal communication in the MD's name, directing all offices to adhere strictly to official protocols.Police have registered an offence under BNS Sections 318(4), 319(2), and relevant provisions of the IT Act.
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