PUDUCHERRY: A coconut trader lost Rs 1.35 crore lost to online fraud in Puducherry. As per police, the victim, Ramesh (name changed), a Reddiyarpalayam-based coconut vendor, had been procuring coconuts locally and exporting them to various destinations, including foreign countries.
In search of bulk suppliers, he turned to online platforms a few months ago.
“He got a contact online and contacted that person as he mentioned that a large number of coconuts were available with him for sale,” said police.
Over the past four months, Ramesh transferred Rs 1.35 crore in multiple instalments to a bank account provided by the online seller. However, he never received any coconuts, and later the seller became unreachable. Following Ramesh’s complaint, a case was filed on Saturday, and an investigation is underway.
Authorities have taken measures to freeze the account associated with the fraudulent seller, as per police sources. A police official from the Cyber Crime police station said that since January 1, a total of Rs 8 crore has been lost by 582 individuals in Puducherry due to online forgery.
The cybercrime unit has issued a warning, urging caution when making online payments.