New Criminal Laws: First Case Under New Penal Code Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Filed In Mumbai

The first case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered at the DB Marg Police Station in Mumbai. This initial crime pertains to cyber fraud, where a Pav Bhaji seller at Girgaon Chowpatty was deceived by someone posing as an officer from a financial institution. The case has been filed against an unknown person under sections 318 (4) and 319 (2) of the BNS, along with provisions of the Information Technology Act 66(C) and 66(D). According to information from DB Marg Police, the complainant, 36-year-old Dilip Subhedar Singh, filed the FIR around 2 AM on July 1st. 

Singh is originally from Madhya Pradesh and has been residing in Mumbai with his family for the past ten years, selling pav bhaji in the Khau Galli at Girgaon Chowpatty. On the night of June 25th, around 10:30 PM, Singh was browsing Facebook and came across a page named 'Chachasal Samvad'. Needing a loan, Singh clicked on the 'Chachasal' app linked on the page and filled in the required information, including his name, mobile number, and loan amount. The next morning, on June 26th at about 9 AM, Singh received a call from someone claiming to be from a finance company, who asked if he had applied for a loan the previous night. This led to Singh conversing with the unknown person, who requested all of Singh's documents. Singh then sent his documents to another mobile number provided by the caller.

Within half an hour, the unknown person called back, stating that a loan of Rs 5 lakhs had been approved and that Singh needed to pay a registration fee of Rs 2,550. Accordingly, Singh transferred Rs 2,550 via PhonePe from his brother's bank account. The caller then pressured him to pay Rs 9440 for GST. After another call, the unknown person tricked Singh into sending an additional Rs 9,500 for different charges. Singh transferred this amount via PhonePe from his friend Arun Singh's bank account. The caller then informed Singh that Rs 5 lakhs would be deposited into his bank account within two days.

On June 29th, the unknown person contacted Singh again, asking for an agreement fee of Rs 16,830 and various other charges, totaling Rs 25,000. Singh sent these amounts in two installments via PhonePe through two friends. As per the caller's request, Singh also transferred Rs 9,000 rupees to an unknown account. The caller assured Singh that the loan amount would be deposited by 4 PM on June 30th.When the loan amount wasn't deposited into Singh's bank account on June 30th, he inquired about the mobile number from which he had received the calls. The caller then demanded an additional Rs 30,000. This is when Singh realized he had been defrauded.