Thane man duped of Rs 2.5 lakh by fraudster posing as ATS officer; probe underway

Police have registered a case of cyber fraud after a social worker in Maharashtra’s Thane district was allegedly threatened and cheated of Rs 2.5 lakh by a caller posing as an officer of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), officials said on Monday.

Murlidhar Harpaldas Makhija, an Ulhasnagar resident who works as a social worker, stated in his complaint that he received a WhatsApp call from an unknown number in March. The caller introduced himself as ‘Pramod Mishra’ from the ATS in Pune, a police official said.