Gang of seven cheats city salesman of Rs 1.5 lakh with fake bank receipt in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: The Adugodi police have arrested seven people for impersonating and cheating a 27-year-old salesman of Rs 1.50 lakh in southeastern Bengaluru. 

The arrested are Azharuddin, 32; Syed Kashif, 31; Syed Danish, 20; Shashikumar, 25; Mohammed Mudassir, 26; Shafi, 28, and Imtiyaz Pasha, 33. Except for Danish, who was from Chikkaballapur, the rest are from different parts of Mysuru, the police said. 

According to the police, on January 7, the suspects had sent a friend request to the complainant from an account that bore the name and a photograph of his old friend.

They told the complainant that they were in Dubai and were returning to India soon. They said they would transfer around Rs 7.85 lakh to avoid paying tax on it. They sent him a fake bank receipt, claiming that the transfer would be complete in 24 hours and said they would take the money once they were in India.

But the next day, the suspects rang up the victim, saying they were in trouble at a police station in Saudi Arabia and would need around Rs 1.95 lakh. Believing them, the victim transferred Rs 1.50 lakh before finding out that the receipt, which was shared earlier, was fake. 

The Adugodi police registered a case and subsequently arrested the suspects after examining and tracing the bank accounts that were used as mules in the transaction. 

From the arrested, the police recovered nine mobile phones, 11 bank passbooks, six cheque books, 31 ATM cards, and nine Aadhaar cards. The police also found that there were 28 cases in different parts of Karnataka, where the suspects were allegedly involved. 

Further probe is underway.