Cyber fraudster poses as company director, dupes Ahmedabad solar firm of ₹90 lakh

The Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police have registered a case against an unidentified person for allegedly impersonating a director of a city-based solar energy firm and defrauding the company of ₹90 lakh through a fraudulent online fund transfer.

Alpesh Dharamsinh Desai (35), general manager at U R Energy Pvt Ltd, states in his complaint that the fraud took place between October 15 and 16, 2025. The company, located in Sindhu Bhavan Road, handles large-scale solar power projects.

Desai stated that around 9 pm on October 15, he received a WhatsApp message from one number. The display picture of the account carried the company’s official logo and the sender identified himself as Vishnubhai Vitthaldas Patel, the firm’s director. The message claimed that Patel’s regular phone number was switched off and that he was now using this ‘new number’ for business communications.

Desai said he initially tried to call the number through WhatsApp, but the call went unanswered. The next morning, the same number messaged him again, asking whether he was in office and then requested contact details of two staff members Kunal Patel and Kishan Dave for “urgent financial coordination”.

Believing the number genuinely belonged to the director, Desai shared the contact details with the impersonator. The fraudster then contacted Kunal Patel on WhatsApp, inquiring about the company’s funds and bank transactions. Claiming to need an urgent payment, the fraudster sent banking details of an account registered as Raj Education Trust and instructed that ₹90 lakh be transferred immediately through RTGS.

Kunal Patel, unaware of the deception, directed Pravin Singh Rao from the accounts department to execute the transfer. The amount was processed, and the RTGS confirmation slip was sent to the impersonator on WhatsApp.

Shortly thereafter, the fraudster demanded another transfer, raising suspicion among the staff. Kunal Patel and Desai immediately contacted the real Vishnubhai Patel on his verified mobile number, only to learn that he had not sent any such messages or authorised any transactions.

Realising they had been duped, the company promptly reported the matter through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (1930) and later lodged a formal complaint at the Cyber Crime Police Station, Ahmedabad City.

In his statement, Desai said, “The impersonator stole our company logo, set it as his WhatsApp display picture, and contacted us using our director’s name. Through deception and a pre-planned conspiracy, he obtained ₹90 lakh via RTGS in the name of Raj Education Trust.”

The police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for cheating, criminal impersonation, and cyber fraud. Inspector N S Khokhar has been assigned to investigate the case.

Officials said the investigation will focus on tracing the money trail, identifying the holder of the fraudulent bank account, and tracking the WhatsApp number’s registration details. Preliminary evidence, including deleted chat records and RTGS receipts, has been preserved for forensic analysis.