Patna,  An FIR has been lodged against unknown cyber fraudsters for fleecing Rs 1 lakh from the district election officer of Purnea, an official said on Monday.

Posing as Divisional commissioner of the district Gorakh Nath, the criminals messaged Niwas Kumar from a number which had the former's photo as the DP. They asked Kumar to transfer Rs 1 lakh urgently to the number.

An FIR in this regard has been registered in Khajanchi Haat police station of Purnea based on the statement of Niwas Kumar.

Without cross checking with the divisional commission, Kumar transferred Rs 1 lakh to the number. After sending the money, he contacted the divisional commissioner to confirm its receipt. He was shocked to know that no such money was demanded and realised that he was cheated by cyber criminals.

"A similar incident took place 10 days ago when a number of officers of the Purnea division contacted me on being asked to pay some money on a particular mobile number. The officers contacted me for the verification and I said that I had not demanded money from anyone," Gorakh Nath said.

"I have directed the district SP of Purnea to investigate the incident and nab the accused. I also appeal to the common people to inform local people every time such messages come on their mobile phones," he said.