Patna: Cybercriminals in Bihar have defrauded at least seven people of more than Rs 11 lakh by exploiting the state government’s recently announced scheme offering 125 units of free electricity.
Police said fraudsters posing as electricity department employees contacted residents in areas including Phulwarisharif, Rupaspur, Dariyapur and Danapur, sending them links and urging them to register for the benefit. Once victims clicked the links, their bank accounts were compromised.
In one case, a man from Phulwarisharif lost Rs 3.99 lakh after receiving such a call. Others reported losses of Rs 1.75 lakh in Rupaspur, Rs 1.09 lakh in Dariyapur and Rs 90,000 in Danapur. Additional scams were reported in Rajiv Nagar, where a resident was tricked out of Rs 1.67 lakh under the guise of an inverter company, while a woman in Maner lost Rs 1 lakh in an Aadhaar verification fraud. Another victim was cheated of Rs 96,000.
Earlier, two men from Ramjichak in Digha were told their electricity bills had not been updated and risked missing out on the scheme. After clicking a link sent by the fraudsters, they lost Rs 63,000.
According to police, scams linked directly to the electricity scheme account for losses of Rs 7.73 lakh, while total fraud has reached Rs 11.36 lakh. The cybercrime police have registered cases and launched an investigation.
