Waking up from its slumber, the Central Beureu of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday registered an FIR against unknown persons for attempting to cheat a Moradabad-based entrepreneur using the name of the Prime Minister’s Office. The action comes six months after the top office asked the CBI to look into the email conning attempt.
Moradabad’s Pankaj Kumar was looking for financial help from the Medium and Small Scale Industries Department to set up a desert cooler and fan manufacturing unit.
He could not believe his luck when a mail, purportedly from the Prime Minister's Office, was sent to him claiming that his loan of Rs 1.02 crore had been sanctioned with the intervention of the top office.
Kumar was then asked by the mailer to contact Finance Officer in "PMO Trust Fund Office" at 101, Race Course Road. For all the effort by the conmen to give the communique an official look, Kumar grew suspicious and referred the matter to the PMO to know if the correspondence was genuine.
When the PMO received the mail sent from "info@pmotrustfund.org.in", it became clear that it was a cheating attempt to fleece Kumar. The PMO referred the matter to the CBI, which wasted precious time in registering an FIR in the matter.
Gang Possibly Operated Out of Maharashtra
PTI tried to contact both the numbers on which Kumar was asked to contact to process his loan but both the phones were switched off. With the message in one of the phone numbers coming in Marathi, it could be safely assumed that one of the conmen was based in Maharashtra at some point of time.
I wanted to setup a cooler manufacturing unit, for which I was looking for financial assistance from the Government. First I thought the mail is in response to my application but after reading it three four times, I doubted its authenticity. I then filed my concern on Public Grievances portal. The PMO took cognisance, and forwarded my complaint to CBI.Pankaj Kumar
CBI Slow to Register Case
Ironically, the CBI, which had received a communication from the PMO to register the case in June, filed the FIR on 22 December 2016.
"The alleged email related to approval of PMO office for PM Trust Fund Loan Scheme for sanction of Rs 1.02 crore and requesting therein to contact loan processing officer, namely Smita Rani Rao...Prima Facie the letter seems to be forged. The concerned person has misused PMO's name. It is clear case of forgery," the directive from the PMO had said.
The agency has registered a case of cheating under IPC and provisions of Information Technology Act.
(With inputs from PTI)
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