The gift of friendship found on social media gave such a poison in a woman’s life, which she did not even imagine. The 46 -year -old woman from Navi Mumbai was so overwhelming to befriend a man on Instagram that she lost everything. The woman was promised that an expensive gift is being sent to her from the United Kingdom. But by the time she understood the truth, she had lost 49.59 lakh rupees.
A complaint has been lodged in this case at Rabale police station in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra. According to this, this fraud took place between June and August 2024. However, the matter came to light when the victim lodged a report with the police on Friday. The police is now trying to add every link to this high-profile cyber fraud. This cheating started with a simple Instagram Friend Request. The accused claimed the woman to be a resident of United Kingdom.
The conversation between them increased and within a few days the intimacy between the two increased. Meanwhile, the person told the woman that he is sending a very expensive gift for her to the parcel. A few days later, the woman received a call. There was a woman calling, who described herself as a custom officer posted at Delhi Airport. He said that he has a parcel from the UK. Customs and parcel handling fees have to be paid to take it.
The victim gradually transferred 49.59 lakh rupees to different bank accounts mentioned by the accused. The amount was given in many installments. The victim was repeatedly assured that after paying the amount, her parcel would be handed over to her. But as soon as the demand for money started increasing and the parcel has not reached yet, the woman was suspicious. When he tried to contact the alleged custom officer and Instagram Friend, both of them broke the contact.
After this, the woman was convinced that she had become a victim of big cyber fraud. He reached Rabale police station and told the police. The police have registered a case under Section 418 (4) (fraud), 34 (general intent) and Information Technology Act of the Indian Penal Code. Initial investigation has revealed that both the accused used fake identity and implicated their victims in the trap through social media. His real names and addresses have not been found yet.
This case has now been handed over to the cyber cell, which is trying to locate the accused on the basis of digital trail and bank transactions. The police have warned the general public that no economic transactions should be done by coming under the greed of any unknown person on social media and especially expensive gifts. Navi Mumbai Police says that verify the identity and avoid transferring money to anyone without confirmation.