Madikeri farmer loses Rs 1.3 lakh to Facebook ‘friend’

Apr 28, 2020, 04:30 IST

Madikeri: Already facing financial crisis due to the lockdown, a farmer in Kodagu lost Rs 1.3 lakh to a man whom he befriended on Facebook recently.
P J Sareesh from Kaluru village near Madikeri befriended Jockey Keltin on the social networking website. After promising to send some “valuable gifts” to Sareesh, Jockey collected his address and offered him a way out to avoid the tax that he would have to pay to receive the gift. Sareesh fell for the deal and some callers, identifying themselves as customs officers, threatened him of dire consequences if he did not pay Rs 1.5 lakh for the jewellery that came from a foreign country.
A frightened Sareesh credited Rs 1.3 lakh (in instalments) to the accounts of the callers. But when they called him to deposit Rs 65,000, Sareesh realised his folly and brought the issue to the notice his friends who made him approach police.
Cyberpolice have launched an investigation to nab the fraudster.