On July 19, a disturbing incident came to light in Udupi, where a 66-year-old woman, Sheila, was duped of Rs. 65,00,000 by online scammers posing as Mumbai Police Department officials. The scammers used WhatsApp messages and video calls to threaten Sheila, claiming that a case had been filed against her and that she would be arrested by the Mangaluru police. The fraudsters, who introduced themselves as inspectors from Colaba police station, told Sheila that Rs. 20 crore of illegal money had been deposited into her Canara Bank account.
The ordeal began on July 13 at 10 AM, when Sheila received a WhatsApp message from the scammers. Over the next four days, she was coerced into transferring Rs. 65 lakh from her account to the scammers’ account. It was only later that Sheila realized she had been defrauded. The Udupi CEN Crime Police Station has now filed a case under the IT Act, following Sheila’s complaint.
The incident highlights the growing concern of online scams in the region, where fraudsters use sophisticated tactics to cheat unsuspecting victims. The Udupi police have urged citizens to be cautious when receiving unsolicited messages or calls, and to verify the authenticity of such communications before taking any action.
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📰 Source: Vartha Bharati Udupi