Sleuths of the Vasai police are on the lookout of a cyber-fraudster who duped a bus conductor to the tune of more than Rs. 35.27 lakh under the false pretext of providing him a license to run a petrol pump on his ancestral land in Kalamb village. The 56-year-old complainant wanted to start a petrol pump. While searching for franchise options on a reputed search engine, he came across a link which directed him to the homepage which offered a fuel dispensing license of a well-known petroleum company. The complainant submitted his information on the website by filling an online form on 15, June, 2021.
Three days later, the fraudster who identified himself as the sales manager of the company called him up and informed that his application for a license to operate a petrol pump on contract basis had been approved by the company. After seeking documents including-pan card, aadhar card, voter ID card on his WhatsApp number, the caller started demanding money via online transfers to proceed with other formalities. The complainant transferred Rs. 35.27 lakh via multiple online transactions to bank accounts specified by the fraudster between 18, June, 2021 to 28, July, 2021.
To win the trust of his target, the fraudster went on sending fake allotment letters and fabricated payment receipts of dealership certificates, security deposits and various NOC’s. But the demands were unending. Suspecting something fishy, the complainants daughter decided to cross-verify by establishing contact with the customer care helpline of the petroleum company and was shocked to learn that such allotments were never made online. Based on the complaint, an offence under the relevant sections of the IPC and Information Technology Act was registered against the fraudsters.
