Conmen drug BPO employee, make off with $4K

Three tricksters including a woman made away with $4,000 - INR Rs 2.8 lakh - from a 31-year-old BPO employee at a lodge in Gandhinagar after the latter consumed juice laced with sedatives on May 26.

Victim Vincent, along with his brother Sebastian, had gone to Lavanya Lodge near SC Road in Majestic on May 26 around 10.30 am to meet one Kiran who had promised him a supervisor’s job in Toronto, Canada.

Vincent, in his complaint to the police, stated he came in contact with one Puneeth on Facebook in March 2019. Puneeth told Vincent that he could get a job for him in Canada, claiming he had sent many to Toronto earlier.

Vincent expressed interest and got convinced after Puneeth said he could secure a supervisor’s job for Vincent at a mall’s supermarket. Puneeth said he owned the mall in Toronto.

Puneeth told Vincent to pay $6000 to one Mohith and gave Mohith’s contact number.

Vincent, on May 25, called Mohith, who asked him to meet his associate Kiran at Lavanya Lodge in Majestic where he can hand over the money for initiating the job application and travel.

Excited Vincent pledged his wife’s and mother-in-law’s jewels worth Rs 4 lakh and converted the money into USD at a foreign exchange outlet in Koramangala.

On May 26, Vincent and his brother Sebastian, ventured out from their house in Ejipura to Lavanya Lodge. There they met Kiran, a woman and another man.

The trio who had booked the room in Vincent’s name offered the brothers apple juice. While Vincent gulped the entire glass, Sebastian had just half a glass. Sebastian suspected something was amiss as he was a nurse. He went to the toilet and started vomiting. Sebastian then called his brother-in-law for help.

Vincent opened his eyes at a private nursing home on the evening of May 26 to realise that USD 4,000 had gone missing from his pocket. Luckily, Sebastian had 2000 USD in his pocket which the fraudsters spared.

The duo then filed a complaint at the Upparpet police station.

A case was registered under IPC section 328 - causing hurt by means of poison, etc. with intent to commit an offence, and 420 - cheating. The police are analysing CCTV footage from the lodge to identify the culprits.