Man cheats Apple store owner in Mumbai of 5 iPhones, iPad by sending fake transaction SMSes

Hanzana Sayeed, a resident of Nalasopara, was arrested

The Bandra police have arrested a 21-year-old man for allegedly tricking a mobile showroom owner into selling five iPhones and an iPad worth Rs1.44 lakh without paying for them.

Hanzana Sayeed, a resident of Nalasopara, used a five-digit number to send misleading messages to the owner, showing that she had received the amount into her bank account, said an officer.

In the second week of September, Sayyed called the Bandra (West) showroom and said he wanted to buy an iPhone and pay through immediate payment service (IMPS). He took bank account details of the shop owner.

The official said, “Sayyed had downloaded a software from Google Play store and bought a five-digit code for less than Rs1,000. It was used to send messages. They are sent using the application, which does not show the person’s mobile number to the recipient.”

He sent a message, mentioning that the amount worth iPhone’s cost had been transferred to her account. Convinced, she delivered the iPone to the given address. She realised her mistake after her employee informed her that no amount was credited into her account by Sayyed. By then, she had delivered five iPhones and an iPad to him between September 13 and September 16.

Her employee registered a complaint with the police who arrested Sayyed when he came to take delivery for another iPhone in Bandra (West) last week. He was remanded in police custody till September 25. He was then sent to judicial custody and was granted bail.