Mumbai: Man Duped of Rs 6.75 Lakh While Ordering Wine Online for Diwali Celebration

What was meant to be a festive order for Diwali celebrations turned into a costly cyber fraud for a private company’s admin from Vile Parle. A cyber scammer posing as a wine shop representative allegedly cheated the complainant of nearly ₹6.75 lakh after persuading him to make an advance payment for an online wine order. The Vile Parle Police have registered a case of cheating and under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act and have launched a search for the accused.

According to police, the complainant, who lives in Dadar and works as an admin head at a private company in Vile Parle, was arranging a Diwali event for employees on 15 October. For the celebration, he decided to place an online order for wine. While searching on social media for nearby wine shops, he came across a mobile number claiming to belong to a wine store.

When he contacted the number, a person identifying himself as Ajay Kumar answered. Ajay told him that the total order value would be ₹9 lakh and insisted that 50 per cent of the amount be paid in advance, with the remaining payment due upon delivery. To appear genuine, the accused even sent an invoice and a GST number linked to a shop named “P.K. Wine Shop.” A quick online verification showed that the shop’s GST filings were regular, convincing the complainant that the transaction was legitimate.

The complainant then obtained the bank account details from the accused and transferred ₹4.5 lakh initially, followed by another ₹2.25 lakh, sharing payment screenshots as confirmation. Ajay Kumar acknowledged receipt of the payments and promised prompt delivery.

However, the wine never arrived. When contacted again, the accused claimed that the parcel had already been dispatched and would arrive shortly. Later that evening, around 8:30 p.m., no delivery boy turned up. On further questioning, Ajay Kumar gave excuses such as vehicle breakdowns and continued to delay the matter.

Realising he had been duped, the complainant identified as Bhavesh approached the Vile Parle Police Station and filed a formal complaint. After verification, police registered an FIR under sections related to cheating and cyber fraud.

Officials said they are tracing the bank account into which the money was transferred and working to identify and locate the fraudster behind the scam.

What started as an attempt to order wine online for a corporate event ended up being a costly lesson in cyber safety for Bhavesh.