Mumbai man duped of Rs 5 lakh by cyber fraudster posing as 'former first lady of Afghanistan'

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A 71-year-old man was allegedly duped of Rs 5 lakh by a cyber fraudster who posed as the former 'first lady of Afghanistan' and sought his help in investing USD 22 million in India, police said on Monday.

The incident came to light on April 8 when the victim, an accountant living in suburban Andheri, approached the police with a complaint of cheating, an official said.

The complainant, identified as Rameshkumar Shah, alleged that he received an email on February 18, in which the sender introduced herself as the "former first lady of Afghanistan" Rula Ghani, and told him that she requires his help in India.

After Shah responded to the email, the sender informed him that she was interested in investing $22 million in India and the amount would be deposited in Shah's account, the official said.

The sender told Shah that he would get 25 per cent of $22 million and that he would have to invest the rest of the amount in a business from which they would profit, the official added.

The sender also forwarded a copy of a passport, two photographs and a receipt of $22 million to win the trust of the victim, who accepted her offer, he said.

Shah was informed that the managing director of a bank in Indonesia will contact him for further instructions, and accordingly, he received a call on WhatsApp from an international number and the caller identified himself as Rula's representative, the official said.

He was asked to open an account in an Indonesian bank to start the entire process and to deposit $360, he said.

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After some days, the caller again asked Shah to deposit some money to convert the offshore account into a local one, the official said, adding that the victim had lost Rs 5 lakh in the transactions.

When the caller stopped responding to his calls, Shah realised that he had been cheated, he said.

An FIR was registered under section 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act against the unidentified cyber fraudsters, the official said.

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