Gujarat man's phone-y claims land him behind bars

MUMBAI: Gujarat-based Mukesh Shah (25) thought he had come up with a foolproof plan to dupe people when he started a website selling high-end phones and gadgets. The lure of receiving a handset of one's choice while sitting at home prompted many to fall prey to Shah's web of deceit. However, Shah ran out of luck on Monday when Mumbai police's cyber crime branch, in a joint operation with the Gujarat police, nabbed him.
Shah would take orders online and direct his customers to deposit the cash in a bank account.But the customers never received the handsets despite having paid a hefty advance.
Cops began looking for Shah after receiving several complaints from aggrieved customers. Vijay Pawar, one of the five complainants, told the cops that he saw an advertisement on the internet about the high-end series of a prominent cellphone company. Pawar logged on to the website, indian.electronics.com, and found out that website was taking orders for the handset. "Pawar placed an order and deposited an initial amount of Rs 11,000 in an bank account. When he did not get any response even a week after making the payment, he sent an email. He even called up the call centre, but got no response,'' an officer said.
Pawar then approached the cyber police and lodged a complaint last month. Cops received four more complaints from customers who had used the same website and made payments. The IP address of the website was traced to Gujarat and Shah was arrested.