Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A woman was duped of Rs 99,000 in a custom gift scam after an online acquaintance posing as a London-based man, along with his accomplices, allegedly extorted money from her by threatening her with legal action and later blackmail.
According to the complaint, the woman received a call on September 19 from a man claiming to live in London. He told her he was bringing special gifts for her.
She later received a WhatsApp call from an international number, with the caller claiming he had been detained at Delhi Airport for carrying illegal gold jewellery and branded items.
Another accused, posing as a senior law enforcement official, threatened the woman with legal action unless she paid money for the man's release. Fearing arrest, she transferred Rs 2,000 and Rs 45,000 through Paytm.
The following day, the accused allegedly threatened to leak explicit videos of her, forcing her to transfer another Rs 55,000.
Realising she had been cheated, the woman approached the Cyber Cell, which is investigating the phone numbers and QR codes used in the transactions.
Similar case reported in May
In a similar case reported on May 30, Malharganj police booked Amanpreet Singh and an accomplice for allegedly duping a woman, Kalpana, of Rs 12.05 lakh.
Police said Amanpreet had befriended Kalpana on Facebook, posed as a UK-based businessman and claimed she was like a sister to him. He later told her he was travelling to India with gold and diamond gifts.
An accomplice allegedly posed as an airport official and claimed Amanpreet had been detained in Delhi. Believing the story, Kalpana allegedly mortgaged her jewellery and transferred money to eight bank accounts.
