Lucknow: A professor at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU) was allegedly duped of more than ₹50 lakh over six months by cyber fraudsters posing as LIC officials and promising to revive his lapsed insurance policy.The Cyber Crime Police registered an FIR on the complaint of Dinesh Raj Modi, a professor in the university’s biotechnology department.According to the complaint, Modi was first contacted in April 2026 by one Vikram Singh, who claimed to be an employee in the accounts department at LIC headquarters in Delhi. The caller informed him that his insurance policy had lapsed and could be reactivated after completion of certain formalities.Modi alleged that he was asked to coordinate with two other individuals, identified as H Lalduhsange and Anit Panwar, through phone calls and WhatsApp messages. Believing them to be genuine LIC representatives, he followed their instructions and transferred ₹2 lakh on April 16, 2026.The complainant alleged that he was repeatedly persuaded and, at times, intimidated into making additional payments. The money was transferred to multiple bank accounts linked to different individuals and an entity identified as DK Enterprises.The complaint details several transactions between April and Oct, including transfers of ₹2.5 lakh, ₹3.5 lakh, ₹2.67 lakh, ₹3.6 lakh, ₹2.58 lakh and ₹2.78 lakh, among others, through Modi’s accounts in Canara Bank and Bank of Baroda. The total amount transferred allegedly reached ₹50,19,800.Modi said he realised he had been cheated when the accused continued demanding money without releasing any of the promised policy benefits. After discussing the matter with his family, he lodged complaints through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.Based on the complaint, the Lucknow Cyber Crime Police registered a case under Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 66D of the Information Technology Act. Police said an investigation into the bank accounts and identities of the accused is underway.
