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Bengaluru: ‘To-be flatmate’ steals phone, wipes clean bank balance

On August 1, Divyam posted a message on Facebook, saying he was looking for a flatmate
Last Updated 09 August 2022, 02:51 IST

Looking for a roommate online? You better read this. A bank staffer, who had put a Facebook post saying he was looking for a roommate, lost his mobile phone and Rs 50,000 to a total stranger who posed as a prospective flatmate, according to a police complaint.

Ashutosh Mishra lives with a flatmate named Divyam in Kashi Nagar, Byatarayanapura, North Bengaluru. To save some money, they decided to have another flatmate.

On August 1, Divyam posted a message on Facebook, saying he was looking for a flatmate.

Three days later, a person who has a Facebook profile named Hita Choudary contacted Divyam and showed interest in sharing the flat. He later texted him on WhatsApp seeking details of the place.

The man arrived at their flat around 11 am on August 6 and met both Divyam and Mishra. He gave his name as Anvesh, a native of Andhra Pradesh. Divyam and Mishra showed him the place, and he said he liked it and was ready to move in next month.

Happy that they had finally found a roommate, Mishra went to the washroom while Divyam got busy on the phone. The stranger took advantage of this. He told Divyam that his driver had arrived and left in a huff, promising to return soon with his belongings.

When Mishra came out of the washroom, a shocker awaited him — his mobile phone was missing. Suspecting that Anvesh had stolen it, he rang him but the phone was switched off.

‘A clean wipeout’

Mishra then decided to check his bank balance on his computer and was stunned to find that Rs 50,000 had been wiped off. It was a clean wipeout. Mishra hadn’t done any bank transactions that day.

An upset Mishra later filed a complaint at the jurisdictional Amruthahalli police station.

When DH contacted him for comment, he refused to speak.

A senior police officer who is investigating the case said that the miscreant likely used a digital payments app to siphon off the money.

“We are yet to hear from the bank about the exact transaction that the miscreant made,” the officer said, adding efforts were underway to track him down.

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(Published 08 August 2022, 19:44 IST)

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