Delhi: Mehrauli resident applies for ‘Covid vaccine loan’, loses at least Rs 4,000

An FIR was registered by the Special Cell on May 28 based on a complaint by a resident of Delhi’s Mehrauli who was allegedly being extorted after he applied for a “3rd Covid dose vaccine loan”, officers said. The FIR was filed under sections 420 (cheating), 384, (extortion), 468 (forgery for cheating), 471 (using forged document) of the Indian Penal Code.

The complainant, Rohan Kapoor, had received an SMS informing him about a “3rd Covid dose vaccine loan” and a link to check eligibility. When he clicked the link, a loan app was allegedly installed in his phone and it gained access to his gallery and contacts. The complainant also uploaded his PAN and Aadhaar details on the app.

According to the complainant, four days after he got the loan of Rs 4,200, he allegedly began to receive threat calls demanding thrice the loan amount. He was allegedly told that morphed nude images of him would be sent to his contacts and some of his contacts even received such images. The calls continued even after the complainant allegedly paid the amount back. The complainant said the calls allegedly appeared to originate from places like Malaysia, New York and Gujarat.

In the course of investigating the fraudulent app via the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, as many as 45 other complaints were found registered against the app, officers said.