According to the police, the 64-year-old complainant is a resident of Kondhwa Khurd. (Representational Photo)
A RETIRED Air Marshal of the Indian Air Force was allegedly duped of Rs 1 lakh by fraudsters online who sent him a message from a fake email id, created in the name of his friend, who is also a retired Brigadier of the Indian Army.
An offence, in this case, was lodged at Kondhwa police station. According to police, the 64-year-old complainant is a resident of Kondhwa Khurd.
Police said a retired Brigadier of the Indian Army was the complainant’s close friend. On November 9, 2019, the complainant received an email resembling his friend’s id, police added.
In this email, fraudsters posing as the complainant’s friend stated that he was in Turkey for a residential building construction project, but was unable to gain access to the net banking facility, police said.
The email, police said, also stated that the friend had given a cheque of Rs 1 lakh to a developer for the purchase of construction material, but due to some problem with the signatures, the cheque withdrawal did not happen. The fraudsters also stated that Rs 1 lakh had to be given to the developer and that he would return it within two weeks after returning to Pune, police added.
Believing that his friend needed financial help, the complainant replied and asked for bank account details of the developer, following which the fraudsters sent the details, police said. The complainant transferred Rs 1 lakh online to this bank account. However, on November 17, the complainant happened to meet his friend at the marriage anniversary of his father-in-law and asked him about his Turkey tour. But the Brigadier replied that he had not been to Turkey. The complainant then realised that he had been cheated and approached the police.