Hotel staff loses ₹2.50 lakh to fraudster posing as her boss

According to the police, the accused first asked the woman to purchase Amazon E Voucher Gift Cards, posing as the CEO and claimed that he could get the amount refunded to her the next day.

Mumbai: A 53-year-old woman working as a secretary in the hotel The Leela Palace and Resort was cheated to the tune of ₹2.5 lakh by a person who impersonated her boss, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the hotel, Anurag Bhatnagar.

Sarita Rozario, 53, a resident of Andheri East, had got the first WhatsApp message on Monday night around 9 pm from an unknown number.

According to the police, the accused first asked the woman to purchase Amazon E Voucher Gift Cards, posing as the CEO and claimed that he could get the amount refunded to her the next day.

Sarita Rozario, 53, a resident of Andheri East, had got the first WhatsApp message on Monday night around 9 pm from an unknown number.

“It said: Good Evening! Sarita.” When she checked the profile picture, it was of the COO Anurag Bhatnagar. Believing that it must be the COO who had asked her for the favour perhaps because he was stuck in an important meeting and that his important work buying Gift cards was pending.

He had asked her to purchase ten gift cards each worth ₹10,000. The accused told her to pay for it saying the money would be refunded to her by the office the next day, said a police officer from MIDC police station in Andheri East, where a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered.

Rozario accordingly purchased ten gift cards sent the link on the mobile number. Later she was asked to purchase fifteen more gift cards.

“Throughout the night Rozario was awake, as she was having problem purchasing some of the gift cards. She somehow managed to purchase around 23 gift cards, but was facing problems purchasing the last two. In the morning the next day, around 9 am when she reached office and in the afternoon she managed to purchase the remaining two gift cards and went to the CEO’s office and informed Bhatnagar that she had purchased all the gift cards. He, however, he told her that he had never asked her to do so,” said the police officer.

“Immediately, Rozario realised that something was amiss and that she was a victim of fraudster’s and after a dialogue with her family members lodged a complaint with the MIDC police station in Andheri East,” said a police officer.

The police have registered a case for impersonation, cheating and under various sections of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

“I thought he was the real boss due to the photo. I am now even afraid to answer or reply to unknown numbers,” said Rozario while talking to Hindustan Times.

The police said Rozario lost ₹2.5 lakhs in the cheating and that people should be alert while chatting with unknown numbers especially when they ask for money one should verify it with real person.

“We are trying to find out how the gift cards were cashed and if any goods have been purchased online via the gift cards to trace the accused. We have been continuously creating awareness campaigns regarding the issue,” said Satish Gaikwad, senior police inspector of MIDC police station.