Pharma company owner from Pune duped of Rs 37 lakh in oil export scam

PUNE: Cybercrooks have duped a 53-year-old owner of a pharmaceutical company from the city of Rs 37 lakh under the pretext of getting him to export herbal oil used for patients with chronic diseases.
The crooks had told the complainant to buy the oil from a Chennai-based firm and export it to Europe. Between June and August last year, the man transferred Rs37 lakh to different bank accounts for the oil.
When he did not get the delivery, he realised he had been duped and filed a complaint with the cyber police station. On Tuesday this week, the man filed a formal complaint with the Sahakarnagar police.
According to the complainant, in June last year, he accepted a friend request from a woman claiming to be from Europe and related to the pharmaceutical sector. "After a few chats, she sent him a photograph of a bottle of oil, saying it is used for the treatment of cancer and heart patients. She said every month, some 700 litres of this oil is required in Europe," an officer from the Sahakarnagar police said.
"She assured the complainant that he could buy the oil at Rs60,000 per litre in Chennai and export it for Rs1.20 lakh per litre," the officer said, and she gave him details of a source in Chennai. "The complainant purchased three litres of this oil for Rs1.80 lakh as a sample," the officer said.
"In July, the complainant went to New Delhi with the samples and met a Nigerian national, who was supposedly from the woman's company. The latter told the complainant that he would be taking 200 litres of the oil with him and promised to make the payment immediately," the officer said.
"The victim placed the order. Between July 10 and August 4, he transferred Rs25 lakh to a bank account number provided to him," the officer said.
The woman later took Rs10 lakh more from the victim in two tranches, citing 'logistics charges'. The probe so far has revealed that the sum was transferred to bank accounts in Haryana.