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In Bengaluru, cab driver overhears call of woman, dupes her by posing as friend
A cab driver in Bengaluru was arrested for posing as a woman's friend and duping her of ?22 lakh and 960gm gold. He overheard her personal details while driving her in his cab and later used the information to gain her trust and defraud her. The police have recovered the stolen gold and cautioned the public against discussing personal information in public places.
A 35-year-old cab driver was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly duping a homemaker by posing as her friend using her personal details, which she had discussed on the phone while travelling in his cab last year in Bengaluru, police said, adding that the accused defrauded the woman of ₹22 lakh and 960gm gold valued at ₹60 lakh.
According to police, the complainant had booked a cab on a cab-aggregator application, driven by the accused Kiran Kumar, from Indiranagar to Banaswadi in the city last year. She was talking on the phone with a friend, discussing her personal issues and seeking suggestions, which Kumar overheard, police said.
In November 2022, he allegedly called the complainant posing as her childhood friend and offered help to resolve the issue, to which the complainant agreed, police said.The two continued to stay in touch over the phone.
Over nine months, the accused gained her confidence, and sought financial help citing an emergency, police said, adding that the complainant transferred ₹22 lakh in his account WHEN, but the accused allegedly started demanding more money. When the woman said she did not have any more money, the accused allegedly asked her to give him her valuables. The woman handed over 960 grams of gold, worth around ₹60 lakh, to the accused when he arrived to collect it, police said, adding that the woman then identified the accused as her cab driver.
Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) (East division) Bhimashankar Guled said, “...When she found out that he is not her friend and confronted him, he threatened to make damaging allegations against her and publish them online. He threatened to share her personal details...”
“The accused continued to demand more money when the woman approached the police and filed a complaint... The accused was arrested, and the pawned gold valuables were successfully recovered,” the senior police officer said.
DCP Guled cautioned the public against discussing personal information in public places to avoid such incidents.
