A 24-year-old woman from the city says she lost Rs 55 lakh to online fraudsters who promised her fuel station dealership.
Niveditha, a resident of Jayanagar, wanted the dealership in her name after her family decided to set up a fuel station. She looked up the internet and came across a website that offered “dealership opportunities in the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC”. She found an e-mail address (info@indianoildepartment.in) and wrote to it, seeking details about the dealership.
On June 22, she received a phone call from an unknown number. The caller introduced himself as an IOC representative and promised all help with the dealership. He then started asking her to pay various charges for processing the application. He sounded professional and took regular feedback from her regarding the process. She paid Rs 55,43,000 in multiple instalments until August 10.
Niveditha eventually became suspicious after her application got nowhere and the caller kept asking her for money. She filed a complaint at the South CEN crime police station. Police have registered a case of cheating and under the Information Technology Act.