AI voice-cloning fraud duped play school owner of ₹97,500 in Indore
A play school owner in Indore lost ₹97,500 in a fraud involving AI voice-cloning technology that mimicked her cousin's voice to request money for a fake hospital emergency. The victim was deceived by message alerts and QR codes appearing to come from a hospital doctor, but no funds were actually transferred to her account. Police registered a case and investigation is ongoing.
What happened
On the night of January 6, 2026, Smita Sinha, a play school owner in Indore, received a call from an unknown number resembling her cousin's phone number, who works with the Uttar Pradesh Police emergency dial service. The caller, using AI voice-cloning technology, claimed a close friend had been admitted to a prominent private hospital in Indore for urgent cardiac surgery and asked Sinha to transfer money to a hospital doctor via QR codes.
The fraudster sent a QR code registered under the name 'Hema,' matching an actual doctor at the hospital, to add credibility. Sinha received message alerts indicating money was being credited to her account, and her teenage daughter transferred ₹97,500 in four transactions to the QR codes. After the call, Sinha discovered no money had actually been credited to her account.
Sinha contacted her cousin the next day, who denied making the call. The phone number used for the call, messages, and QR codes remained switched off after the fraud. A complaint was filed at Lasudia police station on January 7, 2026, under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 and the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2000.
Reported impact
Sinha lost her entire savings of ₹97,500, which included personal funds, money meant for paying teachers' salaries, and loan instalments taken to run her play school.
Index analysis
According to the Madhya Pradesh Police cybercrime cell, this is reportedly the first confirmed case of AI-driven voice cloning fraud in Madhya Pradesh, and possibly in the entire state. Preliminary findings suggest AI-based voice modulation was used in the fraud.
Governance controls
An FIR was registered against unidentified persons under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 and the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2000. Investigations are ongoing by the Lasudia police station and the Madhya Pradesh Police cybercrime cell.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
This record was researched and written by the Index from original reporting. Its sources are still being verified by an editor, and they are listed here once that check is complete. Until then the record carries no reviewer.