SRINAGAR (KIMS) — The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Crime Branch Kashmir on Wednesday said it has filed a chargesheet before the Court of Judge Small Causes, Srinagar, in connection with FIR No. 17/2020 registered under Sections 419, 420, 468, 471 of the RPC and Section 66-D of the Information Technology Act.
The chargesheet has been filed against accused Jumbom Riba, daughter of Henjum Riba, a resident of Village Pagi, Police Station Basar, District Lepa Rada, West Siang, Arunachal Pradesh for her alleged involvement in a sophisticated online cheating and impersonation scam having international dimensions.
EOW said the case originated from a written complaint in which the complainant alleged that he was contacted through social media by a woman identifying herself as Christiana, claiming to be a Secretary with Abbot Pharmaceutical, United Kingdom. On the pretext of offering dealership rights for a product named “Agasina Nut,” purportedly sourced from Arunachal Pradesh, the complainant was lured with promises of high profits and an international purchase agreement.
Acting on the assurances, the complainant transferred around Rs 26.25 lakh into multiple bank accounts. EOW said the fraud was further facilitated through a staged and fake demonstration of currency conversion, resulting 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 in the names of Tabu Juli and Aisha Kholi across various banks. These accounts were operated by the accused herself and were used for routing, diversion, and withdrawal of funds.
EOW said transaction analysis revealed rapid inter-bank transfers and cash withdrawals, with no legitimate source of income to justify the credits.
The investigation established offences of cheating, impersonation, forgery, and use of forged documents as genuine. Accordingly, the chargesheet has been produced in absentia under Section 512 CrPC for judicial determination, EOW said.
Meanwhile, EOW Kashmir has urged people to remain alert and not fall prey to online or offline fraudsters. — (KIMS)