An NRI from Udupi, currently working in Dubai, lost Rs.12.3 lakh by transferring money to a bank account that promised him big returns. He was added to a Telegram group by frauds, who kept extracting money from him in the name of investment.

Leo Jerome Mendonsa, 40, had two bank accounts – one in Karkala and another at Nitte. While in Dubai, he got a call from an unknown person, who convinced him to pay Rs. 1,100 to a specific bank account on the pretext of returning Rs. 1,530. When Mendonsa received Rs. 1,530 back, he began to think that it was a genuine plan.

In a complaint filed at the Udupi CEN police station, Mendonsa said that he invested Rs. 1,100 over 10 times for which he got a hiked amount in return each time. Around that period he got another call, persuading him to transfer Rs. 4 lakh, which he did in multiple instalments.

He was asked to transfer more money, about Rs. 50,000 and above, from November 15-17. They termed the process as ‘revenue tasks’, assuring Mendonsa of a larger sum in a matter of time. Since that did not happen and nobody was responding to his calls, Mendonsa sensed foul play and contacted the police.

The CEN police registered a case under Sections 66(C), 66(D) of the IT Act and Section 318(4) of the BNS. The accused is still not traceable. – Image by freepik – editor@nrifocus.com