Mumbai man loses Rs 2.16 lakh in online `task` fraud

A28-year-old Mumbai man was duped of Rs 2.16 lakh in online `task` fraud by online fraudsters, a Mumbai police official said on Monday, reported news agency PTI.

The Mumbai man, who works with a supply chain financing firm, was cheated between Friday and Saturday after a woman sent him a WhatsApp message claiming he could earn Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 through part time work and then added him in a Telegram group, the official said, reported PTI.

“After earning sums of Rs 150 and Rs 200 for small tasks, they asked him to deposit amounts ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 18,400 for higher level assignments. He was told he had selected wrong tasks and was asked to deposit Rs 1.25 lakh,” the official said, reported PTI.

“After he was told to deposit another Rs 2 lakh, he realised he was being cheated. On his complaint at Colaba police station, a case under IT Act and IPC was registered. Efforts are on to nab the cyber fraudsters,” he said, reported PTI.

In another case, the Mumbai police have registered a case against a lawyer for allegedly forging documents to appear as a public prosecutor before the Bombay High Court and other courts in the city in multiple cases against a builder, an official said on Monday, reported PTI.

Based on a complaint lodged by builder Sanjay Punamiya, the police on Sunday registered a case under sections 420 (cheating) and 465 (forgery) and other relevant provisions of the IPC against lawyer Shekhar Jagtap, builder Shyamsunder Agrawal, Sharad Agrawal and Kishore Bhalerao, deputy secretary of the state home department, and others, the official said, reported PTI.