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MNC exec duped of ₹1.5 lakh in online car sale fraud
Gurugram: A 30-year-old executive of a multinational company, who wanted to buy a secondhand car through an online marketplace, was allegedly duped of ₹1.5 lakh
Gurugram: A 30-year-old executive of a multinational company, who wanted to buy a secondhand car through an online marketplace, was allegedly duped of ₹1.5 lakh by a fraudster, the police said on Saturday.
The incident took place in September last year when the executive, Gaurav Soni, saw an advertisement about the sale of a Maruti Suzuki Alto car online at a cheap price. He contacted the seller who introduced himself as Harpreet Singh, working at Shimla airport, the police said, adding that a deal was finalised for ₹1.5 lakh after negotiation.
Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said that the suspect shared pictures of the car, sent photocopies of the car’s registration and insurance documents and his Aadhaar card to gain the victim’s trust.
“Soni initially transferred the token amount of ₹10,000 through an e-wallet account on September 9, and the final amount of ₹1.40 lakh was transferred two days later in three transactions. The suspect assured him that he would drive down to his home town, Rewari, and deliver the car,” Sangwan said.
The police official said the documents, which may be fake or stolen, are still to be traced back to the name holder.
On September 12, Soni called the suspect requesting to visit Rewari the following day for the delivery, but the latter denied and asked him to call in the evening, said the police.
The police said that after waiting for two more days, Soni called the suspect but his mobile phone was switched off. Then the victim contacted the police.
“I realised that I had been duped, and filed a complaint at Cyber police station,” Soni said.
According to the police, the cyber crime cell conducted an investigation and submitted a report on Friday. An FIR was registered under sections 420 (cheating) and 406 (criminal breach of trust) of the Indian Penal Code at Sector 40 police station on Saturday, the police said.
