Fraudsters duped vaccine-maker Serum Institute of India (SII) of more than Rs 1 crore by sending messages posing as CEO Adar Poonawalla and asking for a transfer of money, Pune Police said on Saturday.

The fraud unfolded between the afternoons of Wednesday and Thursday, said an official of Bundgarden police station. An FIR for cheating and offences under the IT Act has been registered against unidentified persons.

Satish Deshpande, one of the directors of the SII, received WhatsApp messages from a person who posed as Adar Poonawalla. The sender asked him to transfer money to certain bank accounts.