Actor Atul Parchure tries to purchase bag online; scammed of Rs 17.6K

Dadar police have registered a case against unidentified online fraudsters for cheating actor Atul Parchure of Rs 17,641 through a shopping portal. The 52-year-old was attempting to purchase a shoulder bag online when he was scammed.

Parchure was offered a discount of 8% (around Rs 2,000) on the price of the bag if he opted for online payment. The actor paid the amount, as suggested by the fraudsters, but did not get delivery of the product for over a month.

He eventually approached Dadar police and lodged a complaint.

According to the police, in his statement, Parchure alleged that on March 11 he was surfing a social media site when he came across a shoulder bag for sale. The online advertisement claimed the actual cost of the bag was Rs 42,615, but offered it at a discounted price of Rs 19,176.

“Parchure decided to purchase the bag and used the ‘pay-on-delivery’ option. On March 12, he received a call from an unknown number. The caller lured the actor to pay through the online mode instead and offered a discount of more than 8%,” said a police officer attached to Dadar police station.

“Parchure made the online payment of Rs 17,641 through an online payments app,” he added.

When the complainant did not receive the bag, he contacted the customer care service and even emailed them. He received a reply stating that the delivery was delayed and assured the product would reach him after March 30.

The reply prompted the actor to wait further, but he eventually approached Dadar police station and lodged a complaint on April 12. “I believed that the online payment portal was authentic and that I would not be cheated,” said Parchure.

“I believe in the police and am waiting for the investigation team to trace the accused,” he said.

“We have registered a case under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code and sections of the Information Technology Act. We are attempting to trace the accused using the IP address and the mobile number used for the fraud,” said the officer.

First Published: Apr 17, 2019 08:18 IST