Mumbai: Senior citizen loses Rs 14.4 lakh to online fraud, five arrested

Five people who duped a senior citizen of Rs 14.40 lakh in an online fraud on the pretext of buying exotic chemicals for treatment of cancer have been arrested by the Kurar police. The police said that one of the accused posed as an assistant manager of a pharmaceutical company based in England and the entire fraud was ignited after he began chatting with the complainant through a messenger application.

According to the police, on May 25, the complainant identified as Jagjitsingh Garcha (73), received a message on Hi5 messenger from a woman, who introduced herself as Rosemary Kristen. As time passed, the Garcha and Kristen began chatting daily on WhatsApp. While chatting, Kristen told the man that she was working as an assistant manager at an England-based Octa pharmaceutical company, which produces cancer-curing medicines.

Moreover, Kristen also messaged him claiming that she was in Goa for an assignment and could get him the cancer-curing chemicals. The only condition put forth was that he will have to purchase a minimum of three litres to avail a discount. Garcha agreed to buy it for Rs 14.40 lakh. After Garcha wired the money to SG Enterprises, Kristen conveniently disconnected her number, leaving the senior citizen in a lurch.

Realising that he was duped, Garcha immediately approached Kurar Police, who tracked the number and began an investigation. "We got the information that this gang duped scores of citizens using the same modus operandi. One of the accused would pose as a female foreign bank official and lure citizens with cancer-curing treatment, subsequently duping them," said DS Swami, deputy commissioner of police (zone 12).

On September 26, police received a tip-off about the accused persons and laid a trap for them. Police then arrested Mohammad Saijad (41), Iftiqar Shaikh (30), Masqur Ahmed Siddiqui (38), Mohammad Baban Shaikh (30) and Kaushal Mandaliya (28) and have booked them under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and IT Act.

DEFRAUDED

The complainant received a message on Hi5 messenger from a woman who proposed to sell cancer-curing drugs. After the money was wired, the woman disconnected her number, leaving the man in a lurch