Woman duped of Rs18,000 by social media ‘friend’

The woman had filed a complaint with the Cyber Cell this February. According to the police, the suspect had befriended the woman on Facebook in January, following which they stayed in touch on various apps.

A woman in the city was allegedly duped of ₹18,000 by a man she had met on a social media platform, the police said on Tuesday. Police added that the suspect had claimed to be a foreign national.

A woman in the city was allegedly duped of ₹18,000 by a man she had met on a social media platform, the police said on Tuesday.

The woman, a Sector 14A resident, had filed a complaint with the Cyber Cell this February. According to the police, the suspect had befriended the woman on Facebook in January, following which they stayed in touch on various apps. The suspect claimed to be a John Morrison, a London resident, the police said.

After gaining her trust, he allegedly told the woman that he would be visiting India. On February 18, the woman got a call from Mumbai airport and was informed by a man that her friend has been arrested and that she would need to transfer ₹18,000 to his bank account to secure his release. The police said that the woman transferred the amount online.

Subsequently, the same day, the woman got another call and was asked to transfer ₹45,000 as her friend had been apprehended by the customs officials, police said. The woman got suspicious and approached the police.

A case was registered against the man under the relevant sections of the IPC and Information Technology Act at Sector 9A police station on Tuesday.

Basant Chauhan, station house officer (SHO), Sector 9A police station, said, “The suspect is yet to be arrested.”