UK man, fake woman officer cheat nurse of Rs7 lakh over customs fees

Mumbai city news: The woman paid the amount towards customs duty for a gift which was sent by a man from London

The Sakinaka police recently booked two unidentified persons for allegedly duping a 47-year-old Bombay hospital nurse of Rs7 lakh. No arrests have been made.

She told the police that she received the friend request in October last year. (HT)

The woman, who is a resident of Asalfa village in Sakinaka, paid the amount towards customs duty for a gift which was sent by a man from London,said an officer. She befriended him on Facebook.

She told the police that she received the friend request in October last year.

An officer from Sakinaka police station said, “The two became friends and even shared their phone numbers. They chatted and spoke on the phone.”

In November, the man allegedly told her that he was sending a Diwali gift for her — an offer she refused to accept. But he said he had already dispatched the gift.

A woman who posed as a customs officer threatened to jail the nurse if she failed to pay the duty towards the gift, said the officer. The nurse consulted with the London man who assured her that he would to repay the amount.

“The fake customs officer threatened the nurse and said the gift contained illegal gold, laptop and money from the UK,” added the officer. Scared, the victim borrowed money and paid Rs7 lakh in eight different transactions. After each transaction, the fraud would ask the nurse to pay import duty for a different item.

“In the last week of January, the man asked for monetary help, claiming that he was arrested by the Delhi police. But she confronted him and asked him if he was from the UK how come he was arrested from Delhi. He hung up on her,” added an officer. The cyber police are trying to trace the fake officer and the man.

The nurse submitted a written application on January 27, which was later converted into an FIR last week.

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