A 60-year-old share trader from Gamdevi was recently duped by a person who befriended him recently on a social media platform. The person lured the trader to invest into the business of exporting medicinal seeds and duped the trader of Rs 12 lakh.
According to the Gamdevi police, a person name Hannah Nayas sent a friend request to the trader in May. She claimed to be from a British pharmaceutical company and told him that she was coming to India to purchase 'Ogrunut' seeds which she claimed to be used in medicines. She also offered the trader to be a partner in the business and assured him of great returns.
She then provided the trader with details of the company that deals in Ogrunut seeds and asked him to get quotation from them. When he approached the Indian company for enquiry, the officials said that they would charge $2800 for a 400 grams packet. The British company immediately approved the quotation and told him that they will visit India to check the sample and asked the trader to order one packet and assured him that he will be paid once their representative arrives in India. Accordingly the trader paid Rs 1.12 lakh
In few days the trader received the parcel of seeds, however, the company's representative told that they were unable to visit and told him to order 55 packets of the seeds. This time as well the trader was assured that he will be paid.
Unaware of the fraud, the trader took a loan of Rs 4.5 lakh and paid almost Rs 11 lakh to place the order and informed the company. The foreign company then told him that they had already sent the money to an official in British Council in Delhi and gave him his contact number. When contacted, he told the trader that money was stopped by customs officials at the airport and claimed that they were demanding Rs 68,000 he also threatened that if not paid in time the parcel will be returned in 3 days.
The trader who spent almost all his funds by then, told the company to return his investment, however, by the time they stopped responding, said an official. After learning about his mistake, the trader approached Gamdevi police who then registered a case of online cheating against an unknown accused.
