Man befriends woman over FB, cheats her of Rs 38.19 lakh
THOOTHUKUDI : Thoothukudi cybercrime police have arrested a 32-year-old man who cheated a woman of Rs 38 lakh after befriending her on Facebook.
The cybercrime sleuths, headed by ADSP Unnikrishnan and Inspector Roslin Arul Selvi, identified the accused as S Muthu (32) of Akkachikuppam in Vellore district.
Sources said, the victim is from Nalattinputhur. She received a friend request from one Nicholas Andrews Morris on Facebook. The man had befriended her and after several days of chatting, informed her that he had sent a gift parcel for her.
Meanwhile, the victim received a phone call from one Ankita, allegedly from the customs office, who informed her that a parcel containing 70,000 pounds in cash, jewels, and an iPhone had come for her, which could be released only after she pays the processing fee and customs duty. The victim transferred `38.19 lakh through various mobile applications to different accounts, said sources.
After she did not receive any parcel, the victim lodged a complaint with the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP). The sleuths tracked the accused to Sholinganallur in Chennai. Following instructions of SP L Balaji Saravanan, the accused was produced before judicial magistrate 4 in Thoothukudi and imprisoned at the Perurani district jail. An investigation is underway to nab other culprits.