18 February,2021 07:32 AM IST | Mumbai | Anurag Kamble
This picture has been used for representational purpose
The temptation of getting Rs 6,000 in retrospective effect under a government scheme proved too much for a lab technician, who ended up losing over Rs 1 lakh to the conman who convinced him he was to get the smaller sum.
The 32-year-old lab technician from Navi Mumbai received a call from an imposter posing as a government servant. The imposter claimed he was an officer attached to the Pradhanmantri Matrutva Vandana Yojna and the technician was entitled to Rs 6,000 under the government scheme.
The victim, Rajnish Dwivedi, became the father of a baby boy in 2017 and his wife received Rs 1,400 from the Uttar Pradesh government under the scheme. They then moved to Navi Mumbai.
On the morning of February 9, Dwivedi received the call. "The man told me I was entitled to Rs 6,000 under the scheme. I told him I had received Rs 1,400 from the Uttar Pradesh government in 2017, but he told that the scheme was old and the Indian government was distributing the money with retrospective effect," said Dwivedi.
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The imposter asked for details of Dwivedi's bank account and then asked him to download an app, Quick Support Any Desk. After downloading the app, Dwivedi received an OTP on his phone which the imposter asked to him share, resulting in three quick withdrawals worth Rs 1.40 lakh.
"When the complainant disconnected the phone he realised he had lost the money. He dialled the conman's number again but the imposter stopped receiving his calls. The complainant rushed to his bank and then approached us," said an officer from Kalamboli police station. An FIR has been lodged against unknown persons under IPC section 420 (cheating) and relevant sections of the IT Act 2000.
Rs 1.4 lakh
The total amount that Rajnish Dwivedi lost
The Pradhanmantri Matrutva Vandana Yojna is a maternity benefit scheme introduced in 2017 and implemented by the Centre. It is a conditional cash transfer scheme for pregnant and lactating women of 19 years or above for the first live birth.
