Lure of ‘gift’ costs Bengaluru woman Rs 10.96 lakh

A 46-year-old woman lost Rs 10.96 lakh to a conman who baited her with ornaments and gifts by posing as an NRI and a customs officer.

The woman realised her folly when the conman’s phone was switched off for several days. She complained to the jurisdictional Bharathinagar police, who have opened a case under IPC section 420 and the IT Act.

Police said it all started after the woman accepted the conman’s friend request on Instagram.

“They began texting and shared numbers. He convinced her he was living in London and said he wanted to gift her expensive ornaments. He even sent her photographs of a parcel containing the ornaments on WhatsApp,” a police officer said.

The next day, the woman received a phone call from a person claiming to be a customs officer in New Delhi. “The conman demanded a fee of Rs 55,000 to release the consignment of ornaments,” the police officer said. Convinced about the gift, the woman transferred the money from her husband’s account. The conman called her again and said the box had 17 kg of ornaments and asked her to pay the customs duty.

In all, the woman deposited Rs 10.96 to various bank
accounts given by the conman who subsequently switched off the phone, the police officer added.