Mumbai jeweller loses Rs 5 lakh to cyber fraud

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A Malad-based jewellery shop owner recently fell victim to a sophisticated cyber fraud that resulted in a loss of over Rs 5 lakh. The incident occurred on August 16 when two men posing as customers entered the shop and purchased gold bars and other jewellery items to the tune of over Rs 5 lakh. The payment for the purchases was made through online payment using RTGS and the shopkeeper received a confirmation message on his mobile phone.

However, the shop owner's elation over the Rs 5 lakh sale was short-lived as he received a message from his bank in the evening that his account had been frozen. Alarmed, he rushed to the bank the next day to investigate. It was then that he discovered the unsettling truth, a cyber fraud had been committed against someone in Telangana, and the funds transferred to his account were part of the scam.

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Realizing that he had been duped, the jeweller immediately approached the Malad police station. The police are currently investigating the case, which underscores the growing threat of cyber fraud in financial transactions.

According to sources, two men posing as customers approached Ruchira Jewellers on S V Road near the New Era signal junction on Friday morning. The duo expressed interest in purchasing a gold coin and a gold chain and asked the shopkeeper if payment through RTGS would be acceptable.

After receiving confirmation, both men left without making a purchase but returned to the shop at about 2.30 pm. They then purchased a 60-gram gold bar and jewellery including a 13-gram gold chain worth over Rs 5 lakh. Payment was made through RTGS, and the shop owner received a confirmation message on his mobile phone.

"The individuals took the jewellery and left the shop. However, at around 6 pm, the shop owner received a message from his bank stating that the Rs 5 lakh transferred to his account had been debit-frozen. He was shocked by this development.

The next day, the shop owner visited the bank to inquire further and discovered that the amount had been transferred to the Ruchira Jewellers' account through a cyber fraud case in Telangana. A person identified as Sai Kiran had become the victim of this fraud and the fraudulent amount was transferred from his bank account to the account of Ruchira Jewellers.

Sai Kiran had filed a case with the Telangana Cyber Police, which issued instructions to the bank to freeze the account of Ruchira Jewellers. "A bank employee also showed the jewellery shop owner Sai Kiran's FIR and the action taken by the Telangana police," said an officer. Realizing he had become a victim of fraud, the shop owner approached the Malad police station and filed a case against the duo, the officer added.

"Based on the jeweller's information, a case has been registered under various sections of the BNS, and the investigation has begun. The police have collected CCTV footage from the shop and nearby areas to trace the suspects," said an officer from the Malad police station." Attempts to contact the owner of Ruchira Jewellers were unsuccessful.