Mangaluru: A con artist, impersonating a CBI officer, defrauded a contractor in Mangaluru of over Rs 15 lakh by falsely claiming to file a case against him, police said on Sunday.

The victim, a resident of Kottara, was ensnared in this elaborate scam after receiving a distressing call on April 25, they said.

The caller, posing as a CBI official, alleged that threatening calls had originated from the victim’s mobile number, coupled with rumors of financial misconduct, police said.

Claiming a case had been registered with the Mumbai CBI office, the imposter threatened to suspend the victim’s mobile number unless immediate action was taken, a senior police officer said.

The situation intensified when the call was transferred to another individual, purportedly a senior CBI officer, who exploited the victim’s fear by warning of dire consequences, including the confiscation of bank accounts for alleged misappropriation of funds, he said.

To ostensibly clear his name from the fabricated case, the victim was coerced into transferring Rs 2.99 lakh to a designated account, the officer added.

According to the CEN Police, the victim, trapped in a web of deceit, later received a ‘formal notice’ from the impostor, offering a chance to absolve himself from the fictitious charges by complying with further demands. Succumbing to pressure, the contractor made additional transfers totalling Rs 15,01,049 as instructed by the fraudsters.

Realising that he had fallen victim to a scam, the contractor lodged a formal complaint with the cyber police on May 3, initiating an investigation into the fraudulent activities, police said.