A 35-year-old bank employee left poorer by Rs 3.4 lakh after he befriended a “woman” on a matrimonial website. Dhananjay Bhat Chitte, a resident of Bengaluru, told the police that he trusted a person, who called herself Shilpa, and paid her money.
After several online interactions and telephone conversations, Mr Chitte asked the woman to marry him. She agreed to take the relationship forward, but later turned to him for financial help citing a medical emergency, said the police.
According to the complaint filed by Mr Chitte, ‘Shilpa’ told him that her brother had been hospitalised for a surgical procedure and the family needed Rs. 3.4 lakh to pay the hospital bill. He agreed to help and transferred the amount to her bank account. A few days later, however, when he tried to reach out to her, he found the mobile switched off. And thus, ‘Shilpa’ was unreachable.
Realising that he had been duped, Mr. Chitte filed a complaint with the Girinagar police, who are now trying to track down the culprit.
Rs 1.45 lakh gift!
In another online scam, a 49-year-old woman was recently duped by a person who befriended her on social media and ‘borrowed’ Rs. 1.45 lakh from her, promising her to send her a New Year’s gift.
The victim, Veena V.C., a resident of HAL II Stage, told the police that the person had introduced himself as Gerald Louis from the United States. In December last, he told her that he would be sending her a New Year’s gift as a token of their friendship.
A few days later, a person contacted her on her mobile phone saying a parcel had arrived for her from the U.S., but to claim it from customs she would have to pay Rs. 1.25 lakh. In a separate transaction, she was made to transfer another Rs. 20,000.
Afterwards, when she did not receive the gift, she contacted Louis, who allegedly threatened to upload some private photos that she had sent him. The cybercrime police are investigating the matter.
Welcoming the move Dr Arathi Krishna told coastaldigst.com that Indians stranded in any foreign country can utilize this facility. "Initially, I was approached by Mr Zakaria and Mr Sheik who wanted chartered flights to help their employees fly back to India. I asked them to write to the Indian Ambassador in Saudi Araia Mr Ausaf Sayeed. Then I requested the ambassador to forward the request to Joint Secretary Dr Nagendra Prasad, who is in charge of gulf division in the Ministry of External Affairs, and then to Secretary on charge of Gulf and then I requested Secretary of Economic Relations Mr T S Tirumurti who was also in charge of Gulf to follow this up," she said.
Comments
Ads wont help to avoid such fraudsters. Because they are acting as intimate one. In relationship, people wont think about such frauds. Only after happening, they will realise that it happen to her/him
Police and govt should give advt regarding such fraud cases.
Fraudster using new methods. They people are the most knowledge updating people i guess
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