Online fraudsters dupe former Mumbai police officer

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A retired cop became a victim of an online fraud while trying to purchase dry fruits from an online link. The police reported that the fraudsters created a fake website for a dry fruits store located in the APMC market and managed to dupe Dyandeo Wankhede of approximately R30,000.

Wankhede is a retired ACP from Mumbai and the father of Sameer Wankhede, who is a former NCB officer. The Oshiwara police have registered an FIR against the unknown individuals who created a fake website using the name Ajit Bora and the shop name "Map Of Om Mangalam Dry Fruits" purportedly located at APMC in Vashi.

On October 22, Wankhede came across an advertisement on Facebook for dry fruits. In the advertisement, he saw the names "Map of Mangalam Dry Fruits" and "Ajit Bora" along with a mobile number. The alleged fraudster also displayed the address of the APMC market at Navi Mumbai in Vashi.

According to a police officer, "Retired ACP Wankhede wanted to order dry fruits so he called the number given on the Facebook website. Wankhede placed an order for almonds, cashews, dried figs and walnuts worth 2,000 rupees. He sent the money through UPI to the alleged fraudster."

A few minutes later, the fraudster called Wankhede and informed him that his parcel was ready but had been locked due to GST issues. The fraudster requested Wankhede to unblock the parcel. Frustrated, Wankhede told the fraudster that he no longer needed the dry fruits and demanded a refund.

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The fraudster responded by claiming there was a bank server issue and that he couldn't send the money back. He then asked Wankhede to send him one rupee for resolution. Meanwhile, the fraudster instructed Wankhede to open Google Play and enter a provided code. Gaining Wankhede's trust, the fraudster convinced him to enter the code, which Wankhede subsequently submitted.

Shortly after, money began to be withdrawn from Wankhede's bank account, resulting in a loss of around 31,019 rupees. Wankhede promptly reported the incident to the Oshiwara police, who registered an FIR in the matter. "We have filed an FIR against the accused Ajit Bora under IPC sections 419 and 420, as well as the IT Act. We have initiated an investigation into the matter," said a police officer.