Good Day Readers, Today a news has come stating that a doctor couple from Mumbai falls victim to an online scam, losing Rs 90,000. Stay with this article to find out more about this news. In Mumbai, a couple of doctors fell prey to an online scam where they lost Rs 90,000. The scam involved a fraudulent army officer who lured them with a paid lecture opportunity, resulting in two unauthorized Paytm transactions. Residing in Santacruz, Mumbai, a doctor couple, Harish Bedekar, aged 59, and his wife, Prachi, both professionals in the medical field, became ensnared in an online scam that resulted in a significant loss of Rs 90,000.
The couple, who actively engage in providing counseling lectures at various educational institutions, found themselves at the center of this unfortunate incident. According to the Free Press Journal, the sequence of events began when Akhilesh Chowbey, who handles the couple’s public relations, informed Prachi about an opportunity to conduct a counseling session at an army school. This offer was extended by an individual named Santosh Kumar, who claimed to be an army officer and expressed a keen interest in organizing the session. An online conference was promptly scheduled for the following day, October 28.
Mumbai-Based Doctor Couple Loses Rs 90,000
During the online meeting, Santosh Kumar maintained that he had a legitimate affiliation with the army and informed Prachi about a scheduled lecture at an army school in Churchgate, with an agreed payment of Rs 50,000. However, the situation took an ominous turn when he introduced an unusual payment method purportedly used by the army. He provided Dr. Prachi with intricate instructions for this unconventional payment process, which left her baffled. Consequently, she delegated the task to her husband, Harish. The scammer, masquerading as an army officer, initiated a video call with Harish and proceeded to guide him through the process of setting up a Paytm account.
Dr. Harish meticulously followed these instructions, including the creation of the account, and was then instructed to leave it open for a brief period. Shortly thereafter, Harish was notified that an amount of Rs 50,000 had been withdrawn from his bank account, causing immediate alarm and leading to the termination of the video call. Regrettably, the troubles continued as he received another notification, revealing that an additional Rs 40,000 had been deducted from his account.
In a state of desperation, Prachi attempted to establish contact with the scammer, hoping to seek answers and resolve the situation. However, the deceitful individual opted to evade meaningful communication and failed to provide any satisfactory explanations. It was at this juncture that the doctor couple came to the sobering realization that they had become victims of a shrewd online scam, prompting them to take action. On October 28, the couple initiated a formal complaint at the Santacruz police station, resulting in the official registration of a case under pertinent legal provisions.
More specifically, the case has been registered under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code, which pertains to offenses related to cheating and dishonesty, in addition to Sections 66(c) and 66(d) of the Information Technology Act, which are concerned with cybercrimes. This unfortunate incident serves as a poignant reminder of the necessity for vigilance and discretion, particularly when engaging in unfamiliar online transactions and interacting with unknown individuals. It becomes especially critical to exercise caution when payment terms appear unconventional or excessively intricate. In our increasingly digital world, being well-informed and alert to potential online scams is essential to safeguard against financial losses and fraudulent activities.
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