22-year-old even skipped her job interview after a caller offered her costly gifts as part of a bogus 'festive scheme', which required her to recharge 6 cell phone numbers with Rs 1,000 each
When Kharghar resident Omisha Nandkishor received a callon her mobile from a leading service provider, her joy knew no bounds after she was informed that she had won Rs 5 lakh worth of gifts in a Diwali bonanza offer. It was the perfect start to a day when she was supposed to go for a job interview.
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An hour later, however, she was left cursing her stars, since she had been duped of Rs 6,000 in a scam that ended what should have been a new beginning for the young girl, as she lost the job too.
The incident took place in the afternoon yesterday, when the 22-year-old was on her way to Kurla for the interview. The caller, on the pretext of a Diwali bonanza offer, told her that her mobile number was a winner among lakhs of subscribers, and to claim the prize, all she had to do was recharge six different mobile numbers with Rs 1,000 each. The caller told her that she did not have to pay the money, but only had to whisper a special code to the shopkeeper and he would understand, as it was a popular offer.u00a0
Code Word Failu00a0
An excited Omisha made a note of the numbers and proceeded to the nearest recharge store near Kurla railway station, giving the interview a skip. She provided the shopkeeper with six different mobile numbers and requested him for the refill.
Bummeru00a0
“After the recharge was done, our employee asked her for the money but instead of giving us our money she murmured something. We then asked her what was she saying, after which she narrated the sequence of events. I then started worrying about the outstanding payment,” said Pappu, owner of Alka mobile centre in Kurla.
When the shopkeeper demanded the money, she started crying bitterly. “Some locals witnessed her crying inside the shop, and started gathering outside. After a few minute, a patrolling constable saw the commotion and entered the shop. We briefed him about what had happened, and he took the girl to the police station and called her parents.”
At the police station, her mother paid the shopkeeper by cheque. While the cops at Kurla police station made a note of the incident and recorded Omisha’s statement, no case was registered.u00a0u00a0