Copyright thehindu
A woman in Dakshina Kannada was allegedly cheated of ₹2.88 lakh by a person who assured the addressal of her mother’s health issues. In her complaint to the Cyber Economic and Narcotic Crime Station, Puttur, the victim said that on February 3 of this year, she saw an Instagram reel in which a person claimed that he could solve health problems. She clicked on it and was directed to a WhatsApp page, where she was told to call the said number. When she did, the receiver asked her to first transfer ₹301. She transferred the amount and then called again to remind the receiver of her mother’s health problems. In response, the person told her that certain poojas had to be conducted in the Bhagawati and Mahakali temples in Kerala, for which she would have to transfer ₹2.88 lakh on different dates to accounts mentioned by the receiver. Over a period of time, she transferred the money to these accounts. Suspecting fraud, the victim asked the person to return the amount. But the fraudster said it would be returned only after performing the poojas. When she insisted on her money being returned, the fraudster asked her to send an additional amount of ₹35,000. When she expressed helplessness in transferring this amount, the fraudster said he would return the amount shortly. However, the fraudster failed to do so, and she filed a complaint, which the police registered for offences punishable under Section 66(d) of the IT Act and 318(4) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
