KOCHI: The truth is often bizarre. Here is the proof. A Muvattupuzha native’s attempt to retrieve the money he lost to online fraud ended up costing him Rs 32.5 lakh in total! However, the youth who swindled around Rs 24 lakh from the victim by pretending to be a private detective landed in the police net on Sunday. Sudarshan, 24, of Perumbavoor was arrested from his hideout in Idukki.
The incident took place in 2019 after the Muvattupuzha resident received a message claiming he had won Rs 25 lakh in a scratch-and-win contest conducted by a leading online shopping portal. However, fraudsters swindled a total of Rs 8.5 lakh from the victim citing service charges, courier fees and other expenses. When he realised he had been duped, the victim did not lodge any complaint out of shame.
Later, one of his relatives told him about a person – a private detective (Sudarshan) and a friend of the relative’s friend – who ‘helps’ people recover the money they lost to online scams. The friend contacted the victim and gave him Sudarshan’s number.
“However, it was Sudarshan himself who posed as the ‘friend’ and handed the victim the detective’s number. Using different SIM cards, Sudarshan then called the victim posing as an RBI official, a bank employee, a private detective agency employee and vouched for himself. The victim fell into his trap and gave him another Rs 24.5 lakh, believing that Sudarshan would be able to recover the money he lost as well as the Rs 25 lakh that he won in the contest,” said a police official. When he realised he had been cheated, the victim lodged a complaint.
A special team constituted by Ernakulam Rural SP K Karthick nabbed Sudarshan. He was leading an extravagant life pretending to be a aluminium fabricator. He often targeted retired government employees and others who had lost money to online fraud. The police have extended their probe into his financial dealings.