Mumbai beautician pays Rs2 lakh to get iPhone 6s free with two iPhone Xs, gets duped

A 25-year-old beautician from Thane was cheated of Rs1.9 lakh by a Californian woman who lured the victim with an offer on iPhones on the internet.

The accused, who identified herself as Collin, had offered the victim, Pooja Upadhyay, a resident of Wagale Estate in Thane an iPhone 6S for free if she purchased 2 iPhone Xs.

According to the police, Upadhyay is a make-up artist in the television industry.

The Shrinagar police station have notified private banks and the cyber cell to track the account holders in whose name the amount was deposited in phases.

On February 24, Upadhyay saw an ad of Mumbai Wholesale Bazaar on Facebook. “It showed iPhone X for Rs45,000 and an Apple wristwatch free with that. I called on that number and was given another number to talk to the seller. They connected me on WhatsApp and told me to pay an advance of Rs5,000 and later Rs10,000. I deposited Rs15,000. I requested to pay the rest of the amount through EMI and they agreed. After few days, they said they have shipped two iPhone X.”

Later, the victim was asked to pay more for delivery charges, shipment charges, octroi and immigration charges. Initially Upadhyay was lured by a free wristwatch but after depositing Rs1.5 lakh, she was lured by an iPhone 6s free with 2 iPhone X.

Till March 20, Upadhyay paid Rs1.5 lakh and Collin kept asking for more money. “I was told that the delivery boy met with an accident. I asked them to pay back my money, but they threatened and abused me and also said if I want to complain, I can as the police will not help me. I borrowed from my friends and also kept my gold ornaments on mortgage,” said Upadhyay.

By March 26, Upadhyay had deposited Rs1.9 lakh in different private bank accounts.

Sunil Pandharkar, inspector, Shrinagar police station said, “The woman almost deposited around Rs2 lakh for two iPhone X. She was lured by a free iPhone 6s. We found that the account holders in whose accounts the money was deposited are from Meghalaya, Guwahati and other north-east banks. We have given letters to the bank with the details of the account holder. We have also alerted the cyber cell police. The woman has shopped from the same website in the past. A case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against the person called Collin.”