Man cheats cancer patient of Rs 60,000 after promising to deliver wine

This picture has been used for representational purposes

A 33-year-old woman suffering from blood cancer was cheated of Rs 60,000 after promising to deliver wine at the doorstep of her home in Gamdevi. The woman had given away her credit card details and one-time passwords to the man who siphoned off the amount in two transactions, Mumbai Mirror reported.

The woman, who has been undergoing cancer treatment for 18 months, told police that she drinks some wine before going to bed as he experiences extreme pain during the day. With wine shops being shut due to the coronavirus lockdown, she had contacted her friends for help to get some wine. One of her friends helped her with a man's number and a claim that he would help her.

According to the police, the woman called the number on the night of April 4, which was picked up by a man who refused to reveal his identity and demand the payments for the order first. He asked her to share her credit card details and a one-time password the bank sent on her phone. However, it has not been clear how he convinced the woman to share her credit card details and the amount that was agreed to be paid for the order.

Soon after she shared the details, she got an SMS on her phone of about Rs 19,000 being charged on her credit card, said police. When she confronted the man over the transaction, he called it a glitch and asked to share the second OTP to process the refund, After sending the OTP, she received an SMS of Rs 41,000 being charged on her credit card.

When confronted the second time, the man again claimed it was a glitch and asked her to share the OTP again. The woman then realized that she has been cheated and shared the ordeal with her husband and filed a complaint with the police the next day.

The Gamdevi police filed an FIR against the man charging him of cheating under section 420 of the Indian Penal Code and identity theft under section 66 (C) and cheating by impersonation using a computer resource) under section 66 (D) of the IT Act, 2000. The police said that they are trying to ascertain how the woman's friend get the fraudster's number.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news