Vashi Cyber Fraud: Two Victims, Cheated for Rs 3 Lakh, Coincidentally Meet at Police Station

Vashi police registered a case against a person for allegedly cheating two persons by impersonating a retired major to the tune of Rs 3 lakh. Interestingly, both victims encountered each other at the police station while filing their complaints. Millind Deshmukh, a 66-year-old retired resident of Vashi, had listed a flat for sale in Kharghar on a real estate website. On February 7, after posting the advertisement, he received a call from someone claiming to be Aditya Kumar, a retired major, expressing interest in purchasing the property. Kumar offered to pay an advance of Rs 2,00,000 and promised to visit Kharghar to finalize the deal.

To gain Deshmukh's trust, the accused sent photos of his Aadhar card, Army Canteen card, and PAN card via WhatsApp. Believing him to be a genuine buyer, Deshmukh agreed to sell the house to him. The accused claimed that his funds were tied up in an Army account and requested that money be sent to him so he could initiate the transaction. Acting on his instructions, Deshmukh transferred Rs 2.5 lakh from two different accounts using Google Pay. However, when Deshmukh attempted to contact the accused later, the phone number was found to be switched off.

Realizing that he had been swindled, Deshmukh reported the incident to the Vashi police station. To his surprise, another victim named Anjan Guha was also present at the station, having been similarly duped by someone using the same mobile number, losing Rs 50,000 in the process.

The Vashi police have registered a case under sections 420 of IPC and sections 66 D and 66 D of the IT Act against the perpetrator