A 28-year-old woman from Kharadi, Pune, was allegedly duped of Rs 15.50 lakh by a person she met on a dating app, who posed as a friend and promised to send her jewellery and garments from Finland. The fraud took place in June last year, and the woman filed an online complaint after realizing she had been cheated. Following preliminary investigations, a case was registered with the Chandannagar police on Wednesday.
How the Scam Unfolded
Inspector Amol Dhas of the Chandannagar police told TOI that the complainant works with a private company in Kharadi. She was using a dating app and came in contact with a man in May last year who claimed to be from Finland. A few days later, they exchanged cellphone numbers and started chatting regularly.
Parcel Tracking and Customs Demands
On June 7 last year, the 'virtual friend' told the woman that he had sent garments and jewellery to her through a courier company. He shared the name of the company and a tracking number to help her track the parcel. Subsequently, the complainant received a call from an unknown cellphone number. The caller identified himself as a customs officer and informed her that a parcel bearing her name had been held. The 'officer' told her that she needed to pay charges if she wanted the parcel released.
The officer said the crooks extracted Rs 15.50 lakh from the woman by citing various reasons related to customs clearance. She realized she was being duped when the crooks continued to demand money. The woman stopped responding to the crooks and filed an online complaint. Investigations are ongoing.
