Pension cyber fraud: Mumbai-based senior citizen duped into paying nearly Rs 8 lakh as premium for fake pension scheme

Malhotra claimed that she had taken a policy for five years from an insurance company in 2023 and paid the first instalment of Rs 61,350 through cheque. In the month of January 2024, she received a call from one Ashish Tiwari, a representative of the insurance firm, to pay the second instalment of the policy. The victim said she wanted to close the policy as Tiwari was insisting she pay the second instalment even though one year had not been completed.

The suspect allegedly said the bonus had come in her policy, and the value of the policy had increased. Tiwari allegedly told Malhotra that if she paid the balance amount, then she would start getting a pension from November 2024. Thereafter, the complainant agreed to pay the amount based on a demand letter sent by Tiwari. She paid a total of Rs 7.95 lakh in 12 instalments through Google Pay in the bank account provided by Tiwari between May 2024 and February 2025.

The victim realised that Tiwari was cheating her when he started avoiding her after she asked about the pension that he had promised from November 2024. She started asking to return her money, but the accused avoided her calls and messages. She then informed her daughter, and both approached the Bangur Nagar police station in May and gave a written complaint against Tiwari, said a police officer.

“The accused had taken the money for his own benefit and did not even return her the amount. The police verified the facts and booked Tiwari under Section 316 (5), 316 (2) and 318 (4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita,” said the police officer.