NOTE OF CAUTION: Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Akhilesvar Singh has advised people not to fall prey to phone calls from bogus firms asking for deposits. “People should always rely on legitimate banking institutions for any financial transaction. A special team will be formed to deal with such cases.”
Cuttack: A resident of Sector 7 in CDA area here has claimed to have lost Rs 6.5 lakh to an online fraud in which some crooks coaxed him into depositing the amount via multiple bank transactions while promising hefty returns.
Bijay Swain Sunday approached the Markatnagar police, who registered a case (82/18) under Sections 419 (cheating by impersonation), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 66C (identity theft) and 66D (cheating by impersonation using computer resource) of the Information Technology (IT) Act and began investigations.
According to the complaint, Swain, a private firm employee, had received a phone call purportedly from an online-based firm offering lucrative returns on investments December last year.
“I had received a call from a person claiming that his firm will give an assured annual interest of 12 per cent per annum on deposits. He also asked me to visit the firm’s website for further information. Eventually, he lured me into depositing Rs 6.5 lakh in phases into the bank account details provided by him over the past six months,” read Swain’s complaint.
Swain, however, grew suspicious when the fraudster’s cell phone became unreachable. Besides, the website was also blocked. Left with no option, Swain approached the police.
When asked, a Markatnagar police official said, investigation into the case was under way.
“The fraudster used internet calling facility to contact Swain. So it’s tricky to trace the caller’s location. However, efforts are on to track down the culprit soon,” the officer said.
Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Akhilesvar Singh, meanwhile, has advised people not to fall prey to phone calls from bogus firms asking for deposits. “People should always rely on legitimate banking institutions for any financial transaction. A special team will be formed to deal with such cases,” Singh added.
