Staff Reporter
IN YET another online fraud, cyber crooks duped a woman from Ajni area to the tune of Rs 3.32 lakh after communicating with her on a matrimonial website. The 32-year-old victim started communicating with the profile of a ‘Poland-based man’ on matrimonial site -- jeevansathi.com -- since May last.
Identifying himself as one Santosh Wathode, he proposed her for marriage. After accepting the marriage proposal, she started communicating with him on his cell number 48459052134 through WhatsApp chats and calls. Between May 30, 2022 and June 13, 2022, he uploaded a fake driving licence of a Polish national on WhatsApp to gain her confidence. He said that he had sent a Mercedes Benz car for her and would himself travel to India on a later date for marriage. She then received a call from another cell number 8446343974. Posing as a Customs officer, the caller asked her to pay Rs 3.32 lakh towards custom duty by transferring the amount to the Axis Bank account of one Prem Thapa. The ‘Customs Officer’ made her believe that the car would be released only after the amount was transferred in the bank account. Presuming the caller to be a Customs Officer, she deposited the amount in the account. After realising that she had been cheated, she approached the police to register an FIR.
On the basis of the victim’s complaint, Ajni Police registered a case under Sections 419, 420, 465, 468, 471, 34 of the Indian Penal Code, read with Section 66(c), 66(d) of the Information Technology Act, and started the probe to trace the online fraudsters.
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