A Gorakhpur man fell victim to a Facebook-based scam after believing a false story about airport luggage detention, resulting in a loss of over Rs 15 lakh, with police now probing the case.
A man in Gorakhpur has alleged that he lost Rs 15.20 lakh after a Facebook friendship turned into a fraud involving a supposed airport detention of luggage, according to India Today. Police have registered an FIR against an unidentified woman and the case is being probed with help from the cybercrime unit.
According to the complaint, Indralal Jaiswal said the woman introduced herself as Charlotte Olivia, claimed to be a US resident working in Syria and told him she wanted to visit India. He said she later told him she had reached Delhi airport, where officials were allegedly holding her luggage and demanding payment for its release. Believing the story, Jaiswal transferred Rs 15,20,399 from his SBI account through the bank’s app to several accounts supplied by the woman.
Jaiswal became suspicious only after the demands for more money kept coming, the report said. He then filed a complaint on the national cybercrime portal and went to the police, submitting transaction records and other material. Investigators are also examining WhatsApp numbers linked to the woman, which reportedly appeared under the names Charlotte Olivia and Sonam Kumari.
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