The Bandra police are on the lookout for a person who allegedly duped a 32-year-old homemaker to the tune of Rs 3.6 lakh. The complainant was lured into believing that she had won a lottery of Rs 12.6 lakh and asked to pay the amount, police said.
They added that the woman, identified as Puja Dhetve, lives with her children in Bandra, while her husband works in Dubai.
According to the police, on July 20, Dhetve received a message sent by a popular online shopping portal, which stated that she had won a lottery in the their lucky draw. “The fraudsters called her and asked her if she wanted to take a Tata Safari instead of cash,” an officer said, “but since she was in need of cash, she refused the car.”
The complainant was then asked to pay Rs 6,500 as registration fees and Rs 40.5 lakh as GST charges, the officer added. “The woman ended up paying Rs 3.81 lakh over five different transactions,” he said. Later, when the caller allegedly started ignoring her calls, the woman realised she had been duped. She then consulted her husband and approached the Bandra police on August 23. A case was registered late last week under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for cheating and impersonation.
“We are scrutinising the call data record of the person who contacted her and are checking the details of the bank account to which the complainant transferred money. We have learned that the fraudsters are from another city,” an officer said.