Pune fraudster dupes tyre trader of Rs 70,000

PUNE: A cybercrook duped a tyre trader of nearly Rs 70,000 after sending him misleading e-wallet fund transfer links.
According to the FIR, lodged with the Hinjewadi police, the suspect contacted Suraj Sapkal (23) on January 29 under the pretext of purchasing four tyres for a multi-utility vehicle.
Sapkal had first filed an application with the cybercrime cell, which, after a preliminary probe, transferred the case to the Pimpri Chinchwad police. The FIR was registered on Wednesday.
The police have registered the case under IPC sections 419 and 420, as well as the relevant sections of the Information and Technology Act.
Sapkal told TOI that he was in his shop on January 29, when he got a call from a man, who said he got his number through a search engine. “The man told me that he wanted to buy four tyres for a Maruti Ertiga car and asked me the price,” Sapkal said. “I told him it would cost Rs17,400, and he said he would pay online.”
The suspect further told Sapkal that his driver would come to the shop to change the tyres. “He asked me for my mobile number linked to a digital wllet, and then said he would send a link to that number. He told me to press the ‘pay’ optionwhen I receive thre message,” Sapkal said.
Accordingly, Sapkal pressed ‘pay’. “The man called me and said the money was not debited and that he was sending another message,” Sapkal said.
The suspect sent him four messages in total. Within five minutes, Sapkal received four alerts from his bank, each informing him Rs17,400 was debited from his account. “I lost Rs69,600. I tried to contact him, but his number was not reachable,” Sapkal said.
An officer from the cybercrime cell said the money was transferred to an account in Rajasthan.