Woman doctor loses 23L to fake cardiac surgeon

Rajkot: A cyber crook from Amreli, who had allegedly defrauded a woman doctor of Rs 23.35 lakh, by impersonating a cardiac surgeon and luring her with a government job, was arrested by Rajkot’s cyber crime police on Tuesday.
The accused, Hardik Ahalpara (37) falsely identified himself as Dr Rajiv Mehta while chatting with the doctor on Instagram and said he had a 700-bed hospital in Surat. They exchanged mobile numbers and started talking frequently. A few days later, Ahalpara told the doctor that he can help her get a government job with the help of his cousin who is an officer in Gandhinagar. He sought Rs 4.5 lakh which she paid.
Thereafter, the victim wanted admission to a private university for further studies but she scored fewer marks and did not qualify as per the merit. The accused then promised her to get admission and demanded Rs 9.75 lakh as management fees. She paid the amount to portions through UPI.
The fraudster then went ahead and offered her a partnership in a new heart hospital that he was setting up in Rajkot. He demanded Rs 7.95 lakh for this and convinced her to pay another Rs 1.5 lakh.
Assistant commissioner of police (cybercrime), Vishal Rabari, said “The woman doctor lost Rs 23.35 lakh in the last four or five months. Ahalpara had sent such requests on Instagram to several people and there are two or three others who have fallen prey. We have identified them and are verifying their details.”