Cybercrooks exploit student’s exam deadline, pocket Rs 1 lakh

Bengaluru: A man lost Rs 1 lakh after a cybercrook allegedly posed as his niece’s friend and convinced him to transfer money on the pretext of helping the niece pay her college fees.

According to a complaint filed by Naveen (name changed), his sister-in-law’s daughter, who is pursuing MBBS abroad, urgently needed money to pay her college fees. The student informed the family that her exams were approaching and that failure to pay the fees on time could prevent her from appearing for them.

Amid the urgency, a woman introducing herself as Deepika, the student’s friend, suggested an alternative method to transfer the money. She allegedly claimed that if the amount was sent to an account belonging to an acquaintance of hers, the full amount would reach his niece without any foreign exchange deductions.

Trusting her, the complainant transferred Rs 98,000 and Rs 2,000 through Google Pay to the account provided by Deepika on May 9. However, soon after receiving the money, she went incommunicado and switched off her phone. Repeated attempts to contact her failed.

Realising he had been cheated, Naveen filed a complaint with CK Achukattu police. A case has been registered under the Information Technology Act and BNS Sections 318 (cheating) and 319 (cheating by personation). A senior officer said cybercrooks appear to have contacted Naveen in the guise of Deepika and tricked him into paying the money. Naveen delayed lodging the complaint as one of his relatives was hospitalised.