Company loses Rs 12 lakh in online fraud in the name of cement purchase in Kundapur

Mangaluru: A case of online fraud involving Rs 12 lakh has been registered at the Kundapur Police Station after a company accountant was allegedly duped by a person posing as a marketing manager of a reputed cement firm.

According to the complaint filed by U Satish Kumar Shetty (52), a resident of Nempo Karkunje in Kundapur and accountant at Nagu Square Pvt Ltd, Hanglur village, the company required cement for a new building project in Tallur.

On October 13, while searching for suppliers on a website, Satish came across details of a person claiming to be a marketing manager from Ultratech Cement Ltd.

When contacted, a person offered to supply 5,000 cement bags at Rs 300 each and later sent an official-looking quotation worth Rs 15,00,000.66 to the company on October 17.

Believing the offer to be genuine, the complainant’s company, after consulting its owner, Kushal Shetty, transferred Rs 6 lakh to the account provided by the accused.

The next day, the accused demanded an additional 70 per cent payment of the total amount, claiming it was required before dispatch. Trusting the communication, the company transferred another Rs 6 lakh to a second account. However, when the complainant later tried to contact the supplier, the mobile number was found switched off, and no cement was delivered. Realising that they had been cheated, the company approached the police. Based on the complaint, Kundapur Police have registered a case under Sections 316(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for cheating and criminal breach of trust.