Mumbai crime: Vile Parle man duped by Facebook friend for Rs 4 lakh

This picture has been used for representational purposes

In another case of cheating, a businessman was allegedly conned by his Facebook friend and her accomplice of Rs 4 lakhs earlier this September. According to a report in the Indian Express, the complainant who is a resident of Vile Parle, had received the friend request from a profile named Lovely Karen who claimed to hail from Georgia in the United States.

An officer from Vile police station further quoted in the report saying that the complainant started chatting with Karen later on exchanged numbers with her. She told him one day that she wants to start a business in partnership with him. Two weeks ago, Karen sent the complainant a picture of her air ticket to Delhi, saying that she would arrive to Mumbai on September 6.

On September 11, the complainant got a call from one Puja Sharma, claiming to be a custom officer and he was told that his friend was detained for carrying a Rs 1 crore in US dollars and would require to pay Rs 4 lakhs as penalty. Karen asked the man to pay his money on her behalf and promised of returning the amount later. Thus the complainant send her the money.

When Karen kept asking for money, the complaint suspected of something amiss in the conversation and approached Delhi Airport. When the man contacted the Delhi airport last week, he was informed of being cheated.

The police further added that complainant filed a complaint against Karen and the case has been registered under relevant sections of the IT Act and the Indian Penal Code. They also informed that they are trying to contact Karen from the number she shared with the complainant and the bank details used to transfer the money.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates