Bengaluru: In a swift operation, the Bengaluru West Division Cybercrime Police successfully recovered Rs14 lakh that had been fraudulently taken from Dr. Preethi Sudhakar, wife of Chikkaballapur MP Dr. K. Sudhakar, after she was threatened with arrest by online fraudsters posing as police officers.

According to officials, the money was retrieved because the victim lodged a complaint within the “golden hour” of the incident through the National Cybercrime Helpline (1930), enabling authorities to freeze the funds before they could be siphoned off further.

Bengaluru West DCP S. Girish, briefing the media, said the incident occurred on the morning of August 26. Fraudsters, pretending to be officers from the Mumbai Cybercrime Police, contacted Dr. Preethi Sudhakar around 9:30 a.m. They alleged that her personal documents had been misused by a man named Sadbhat Khan to commit illegal activities in countries such as Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The fraudsters then staged a video call via WhatsApp, showing fabricated official procedures, and coerced her into sharing personal records. Claiming that her bank account was “under scrutiny” for illegal transactions, they demanded she transfer Rs14 lakh for supposed RBI verification, assuring that the money would be returned within 45 minutes. Trusting the fake officials, Dr. Preethi transferred the amount through RTGS.

Realizing she had been cheated, she promptly lodged a complaint at the Cybercrime Police Station in Bengaluru West Division. Officers immediately guided her to register the case with the national helpline. Acting swiftly, they froze the beneficiary account into which the money had been deposited.

Following court orders obtained on September 3, police facilitated the reversal of the transaction, crediting the entire Rs 14 lakh back into Dr. Preethi’s account.

“The timely complaint was crucial. If victims report within the first hour, there is a high chance of recovering the money. This case demonstrates the importance of quick reporting through the 1930 helpline,” DCP Girish emphasized.

He further confirmed that efforts are underway to trace and apprehend the fraudsters behind the operation. Investigators suspect the racket may be part of a larger cross-border scam network exploiting fabricated law enforcement identities to extort money from unsuspecting individuals.