Kurukshetra resident duped of Rs 9.40 lakh

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, January 20

Befriending a woman on social media, who posed as an owner of cosmetic companies in Israel, cost a Kurukshetra resident Rs9.40 lakh.

The woman and her alleged accomplice posed as a businesswoman and a Customs Department official, respectively. Gopal Saini said on September 25, last year, a woman contacted him through Instagram and introduced herself as a businesswoman engaged in cosmetics business. She said she had a company each in Israel and Belgium. As they continued chatting, the woman told him that there was good profit in their business and offered to open a branch in India too.

She told the victim that she would be catching a flight for India on November 11, last year, and then on November 13, the victim received a call from another woman, who claimed that she was calling from the Customs Department, Delhi airport, and informed him that one Anju was carrying some goods and Rs36 lakh and told him that a fine of Rs2 lakh was to be paid. Initially, the victim refused to pay, but the fraudsters managed to persuade him, after which he transferred Rs1.85 lakh. The women kept calling the victim and told him that as per the Customs Department, the fine was Rs3.74 lakh, following which he transferred Rs 3.50 lakh into an account. Later, they again asked him to deposit the amount, failing which Anju would be sent to jail.

Finding her in trouble, he said he transferred Rs9.40 lakh till November 20, last year. However, when he kept receiving calls, he got suspicious. Even on November 23, the victim received the message regarding transferring more money and they threatened to implicate him after the victim denied transferring money. Besides Anju, the victim has named Mohd Hanif and Ahmad, to whom the money was transferred. A case was registered.

Modus operandi

• Woman ‘doing business in Israel’ befriends a man on Instagram
• Tells him about her business and lures him to open a branch in India too
• She ‘lands’ in India, but caught by ‘Customs Dept’ official on airport, who sought fine for her goods
• She calls him to help, after which victim transfers money
• Fine doubles, victim told to deposit money again
• Victim gets suspicious as ‘Customs Dept officials’ fail to send any document or make her speak to him