Bengaluru man defrauded of Rs 1 lakh by cybercrooks posing as niece's friend
A Bengaluru resident lost Rs 1 lakh to cybercriminals who exploited an urgent exam fee deadline of his niece, leading to a case being registered at the CK Achukattu police station. The complainant, identified under the pseudonym Naveen, was defrauded after being convinced to transfer the funds through Google Pay.
According to the police, Naveen’s sister-in-law’s daughter is currently pursuing an MBBS degree abroad. The student had contacted her family to inform them that she urgently needed to pay her college fees. She explained that her exams were approaching rapidly and she would not be allowed to appear for them if the payment was delayed.
Amidst this urgent situation, a woman contacted the family and introduced herself as Deepika, claiming to be a friend of the student. Deepika proposed an alternative method to send the money abroad. She claimed that if Naveen transferred the amount to an account belonging to one of her acquaintances, the entire sum would reach his niece directly, completely avoiding any foreign exchange deductions.
Trusting her explanation, Naveen agreed to the arrangement. On May 9, he made two transactions through Google Pay to the bank account provided by Deepika, transferring Rs 98,000 and Rs 2,000 to make up the total of Rs 1 lakh.
However, as soon as the transactions were completed, the woman went incommunicado and switched off her mobile phone. Naveen tried to contact her multiple times but was unsuccessful, prompting him to realise he had been defrauded.
Naveen did not immediately file a police complaint as a relative of his was hospitalised at the time. Once the situation settled, he approached the CK Achukattu police to report the cyberfraud.
The CK Achukattu police have registered a case under the Information Technology Act alongside Sections 318 (cheating) and 319 (cheating by personation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. A senior police officer confirmed that cybercriminals had impersonated the niece's friend to trick Naveen into sending the money.
