Maharashtra: Swindler dupes man on Instagram of Rs 22.78 Lakh

THANE: A 52-year-old man has been cheated of Rs 22.78 lakh by an Instagram friend after luring him to invest in a lucrative ‘business’ of exporting breast cancer curing medicinal seeds to a top US pharmaceutical company.
The police said that the victim, a resident of Lodha complex, works as a senior official in a top communications company in Navi Mumbai.
While surfing on Instagram in April, he came across a profile from a California based woman and soon they exchanged numbers and started chatting on Whats app. The "woman" who identified as a Loura Doura told him that her kin works for a Pharma company and source medicinal seeds as an ingredient used in curing breast cancer.
"She told him that the seeds are extremely expensive but in Indian , he may get them for a cheaper rate and thus they can do some business with it," said a police officer.
The conman gained the confidence of the victim and asked him to collect three sample packets from the agent based in Delhi and dispatch it to the US. A contact number of that agent was also provided, said a police officer.
The "agent" told him to deposit Rs 2.25 lakh in an Indian bank account number. After transferring the amount, he was not given any delivery so he enquired and was told that they now require 7-10 packets of the medicinal seeds, he again paid the amount time to time on various account numbers of the Indian banks of four different persons, the officer informed.
After swindling nearly Rs 22.78 lakh , no seed was delivered any such seeds, and he then realised that he has been duped right royally.
The victim then registered the case with the kapurbawdi police under section 420 of the Indian Penal Code. The police said this is nothing but a Nigerian fraud who operate through social media websites or online dating platforms. The conmen befriend the gullible target and proposes a lucrative business of exporting herbal seeds available in India to a top foreign pharmaceutical company and siphon of lakhs.