PUNE: The Haveli police are investigating a Sinhagad Road resident’s complaint that an unidentified tele-caller, who presented himself as an armyman, duped him of Rs4.18 lakh under the pretext of renting his flat at Karvenagar.
Last month, the complainant had posted an advertisement on a prominent real estate portal seeking a tenant for the said flat, after the previous one vacated it in January. On February 20, he received a call from the suspect evincing interest to rent it, even showing willingness to furnish a deposit of Rs30,000.
The complainant first approached the cyber cell of the Pune Rural police. Post-verification of the scam, he lodged a complaint with the Haveli police.
An officer of the Pune Rural police told TOI, “The man told the complainant he would transfer Rs30,000 as a deposit through UPI. After some time, a woman called the complainant and said she was the armyman’s wife, taking the ‘husband’ on a conference call. They told the complainant to transfer Rs100 to their e-wallet to confirm that the money can be transferred in a hassle-free manner.”
“The fraudster gained his confidence by transferring Rs200 in return. He told the complainant there was no ATM kiosk on the premises and requested him to transfer Rs30,000, so that he could return Rs60,000,” the officer said.
When he contacted the suspect to follow up, he was told there is a connectivity issue, and asked to transfer Rs60,000 again for double the amount in return. “Using this modus operandi repeatedly, the fraudster made the complainant transfer Rs4.18 lakh before he realised what is happening,” the officer said.
