Online ‘friend’ dupes woman of Rs 11.4 lakh
A woman was allegedly duped of Rs 11.4 lakh by someone she became acquainted with on social media platforms WhatsApp and Instagram. The suspect duped the woman, a Nathupur resident, on the pretext of sending expensive imported gifts.
An FIR was registered at the Cybercrime East police station.
According to the complaint filed by the woman, she had befriended a man she got acquainted with over WhatsApp, and then Instagram.
The man told the woman that his name was Mishel Thomas, and that he was a UK national.
He told her that he had sent several items, including an iPhone 11, watch, necklace, and £40,000, as gifts to her address. After this, the woman got a call stating that the package was ready for delivery, but she had to pay the authorities a clearance fee.
“When I refused, I was told that it could not be returned. I deposited Rs 11.4 lakh in different transactions. However, when they demanded more, I found myself duped and went to the police,” the woman said in her complaint.
Following the complaint, an FIR was registered under relevant sections of BNS on Wednesday.
A senior cyber police officer said they were investigating the matter.