Says seeing name of a known mobile firm in details of caller's bank account made him believe the fraudster
Lakhmendra Khurana, businessman
An Andheri-based businessman was cheated of over Rs 1 lakh when he fell for a 'VIP number' offer recently. Lakhmendra Khurana is also the chairman of the ISKCON temple committee. Khurana said, "On April 14, I got a message from a person, identifying himself as Suresh Kumar, in which he said he would give me a VIP mobile number. The next day he asked me to send my Aadhaar card number and PAN, and an alternative mobile phone number, which I did."
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Convinced by company name
Kumar allegedly told Khurana that he would be charged R1,51,017 for the number. Khurana agreed. Kumar, who told Khurana that he was calling from a well-known mobile network service provider, gave him details of a bank account.
"Initially, I did not believe him. But when he gave me his bank account details, which had the company name, I thought this was genuine. He told me that once I transfer the amount, he will deliver the VIP number to my office. I transferred the amount and told him that my son will receive the SIM card for me," said Khurana.
The realisation
According to the police, when Khurana did not receive any SIM card, he called Kumar several times but his phone was switched off. His son also tried to call Kumar several times. They then realised that they had been cheated. Khurana approached the Amboli police, who registered an FIR against the caller under sections 419 (personation) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code and 66(C) of the Information Technology Act.
Rs 1.51 lakh
Amount Lakhmendra Khurana was cheated of
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