Chardham Helicopter Booking Scam: Cyber Fraudsters Dupe Woman Of ₹1.86 Lakh

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A retired woman government officer was duped of Rs 1.86 lakh by fraudsters posing as operators offering helicopter bookings for the Chardham pilgrimage.

According to police, the 61-year-old victim, residing in Awadhpuri, was planning a Chardham trip with her family. About a month ago, she came across an advertisement on social media regarding helicopter services for the pilgrimage.

After contacting the number provided in the advertisement, she was approached by a fraudster who convinced her to transfer Rs 1.86 lakh online as booking charges.

As the travel date approached, the woman attempted to contact the operator but found the mobile number switched off. Realising she had been cheated, she lodged a complaint with police. A case has been registered and an investigation is underway.

In another cyber fraud case, a mother and daughter from Gunga lost Rs 1.91 lakh after fraudsters promised to pay them Rs 23 lakh for old currency notes. The victims shared photographs of old Rs 5 and Rs 1 notes after seeing an online advertisement.

The scammers then collected their Aadhaar details and photographs, showed them a video purportedly displaying cash being counted and demanded various charges, including file processing fees.

Believing the claims, the victims transferred Rs 1.91 lakh before discovering they had been deceived. Police have registered a case and begun an investigation.