Srinagar: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Crime Branch Kashmir has filed a chargesheet in a ₹26 lakh online cheating and impersonation case with international links, officials said on Wednesday.
According to a handout issued by Crime Branch Kashmir, the chargesheet has been submitted before the Court of Judge Small Causes, Srinagar, in FIR No. 17/2020 registered under Sections 419, 420, 468, 471 of the RPC and Section 66-D of the Information Technology Act.
The accused has been identified as Jumbom Riba, daughter of Henjum Riba, a resident of Village Pagi, Basar, in Arunachal Pradesh’s Lepa Rada district.
Officials said the case originated from a written complaint in which the complainant alleged that he was contacted through social media by a woman posing as “Christiana,” who claimed to be a secretary with Abbot Pharmaceutical, United Kingdom. On the pretext of offering dealership rights for a product named “Agasina Nut,” allegedly sourced from Arunachal Pradesh, the complainant was lured with promises of high profits and an international purchase agreement.
Believing the claims, the complainant transferred around ₹26.25 lakh into multiple bank accounts. The fraud was further reinforced through a staged and fake demonstration of currency conversion, which ultimately resulted in substantial financial loss.
During the investigation, EOW Kashmir established that the accused used forged and non-genuine identity documents, including fake voter ID cards, to open multiple bank accounts under the names Tabu Juli and Aisha Kholi in different banks. These accounts were allegedly operated by the accused herself and used for routing, diverting and withdrawing the defrauded money.
Transaction analysis revealed rapid inter-bank transfers and cash withdrawals, with no legitimate source of income to justify the credits, officials said.
The investigation concluded that offences of cheating, impersonation, forgery and use of forged documents as genuine were established. The chargesheet has been filed in absentia under Section 512 of the Criminal Procedure Code for judicial determination.
Meanwhile, the Economic Offences Wing Kashmir has advised the public to remain vigilant and avoid falling prey to online and offline fraudsters.
