An 82-year-old resident of Sector 20 allegedly lost ₹2 lakh to cyber fraudsters while searching online for assistance to repair his mobile phone, according to an FIR registered by the cyber crime police station.
The complainant, a retired professor at Punjab Engineering College (PEC), Sector 12, told the police that he uses the Blinkit app to order products for home delivery and on September 17, he searched Google for Blinkit’s customer care number to place an order.
He allegedly contacted a number listed online, where the person who answered asked him to make a payment of ₹10 to verify his identity.
The caller also guided him through certain steps on his phone, which the complainant followed.
According to the complaint, his phone suddenly switched off after he initiated the payment through a UPI app using his State Bank of India (SBI) account.
When he checked his phone the following morning, he found messages indicating that money had been withdrawn.
He visited the SBI branch in Sector 20 with his son and learnt that ₹2 lakh had been debited from his account.
{{/usCountry}}He visited the SBI branch in Sector 20 with his son and learnt that ₹2 lakh had been debited from his account.
{{/usCountry}}He subsequently lodged a complaint, alleging that he had been cheated and is seeking recovery of the money.
The Cyber Crime police registered an FIR on Friday under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The accused have not been identified, and further investigation is underway.
Panchkula man duped of ₹2 lakh
A 76-year-old retired veterinary department employee from Sector 25, has allegedly been duped of ₹2 lakh by cyber fraudsters who impersonated his childhood friend and sought money on the pretext of a medical emergency.
According to the FIR registered at the cyber crime police station on Friday, the complainant received a call on October 6 from a person claiming to be his childhood friend.
The caller allegedly told him that money would be transferred to his bank account and later sought his help in arranging funds for a relative who had suffered a heart attack and was admitted to a Delhi hospital.
The complainant was subsequently contacted by another person, who allegedly claimed to be his friend’s relative and requested urgent financial assistance.
Believing the claims, the complainant transferred money to the bank accounts provided to him on October 6 and 7.
He later became suspicious when further demands for money were made.
On contacting his actual friend, he learnt that no such requests had been made.
He then reported the matter through the national cyber crime helpline 1930.
Police have registered a case under Section 61, 319, 316(2) and 318(4) of BNS and initiated an investigation to trace the accused and the money.