In a shocking case of AI-powered fraud, scammers in Indore reportedly used artificial intelligence to clone the voice of a teacher’s cousin, tricking her into transferring Rs 1 lakh.
In what police believe
may be Madhya Pradesh’s first confirmed case of AI-driven voice-modulation fraud, a school teacher from Indore lost nearly Rs 1 lakh after scammers used advanced technology to clone her cousin’s voice and deceive her into transferring the money.
The victim, identified as Smita, a middle-aged schoolteacher living in Indore, had last spoken to her cousin, who works for the UP Police’s emergency dial service, almost two years ago.
While having dinner with her family, on the night of January 6, Smita received a call from an unknown number that closely resembled her cousin’s phone number. The caller claimed to be her cousin and said a friend had suffered a heart attack and urgently needed surgery at a private hospital in Indore, NDTV reported.
The fraudster sent her QR codes, requesting that she transfer money on his behalf. Trusting the familiar voice and details, Smita transferred Rs 97,500 across four transactions. When she tried to call back, the number was blocked. The following morning, her cousin denied making the call, prompting her to lodge a complaint at the Lasudia police station.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rajesh Dandotiya said, “A teacher received a call from someone claiming to be her cousin. He sent QR codes and asked for immediate payment. There were three transactions of Rs 30,000 and one of Rs 7,500. When she called back, she was blocked. The voice was exactly like her cousin’s. This strongly indicates the use of AI-based voice modulation technology.”
While digital fraud cases continue to rise, Madhya Pradesh has recovered less than 0.2% of the money lost to cybercrime over the past four years.
According to data disclosed by the Home Department in the Vidhan Sabha, citizens lost over Rs 1,054 crore to cyber fraud between May 1, 2021, and July 13, 2025, but only Rs 1.94 crore, or 0.18%, was returned to victims.
During this period, more than Rs 105 crore was temporarily frozen in suspicious accounts, but only a small portion was recovered. A total of 1,193 FIRs were registered, yet chargesheets were filed in just 585 cases.
