In another cybercrime incident, a 52-year-old Bengaluru software engineer lost ₹5.4 lakh after posting an OLX ad to rent her Hennur 3-BHK flat. The victim was contacted by a man introducing his “nephew” as a tenant, followed by a fraudster claiming to be CISF jawan Sandeep Rawat, allegedly transferred to Kempegowda International Airport.
Rawat, posing as a family man from Uttarakhand, sent PAN, ID, and family photos to gain trust. Urging a quick rental agreement, he asked her to remove the OLX listing and said his senior, “Captain Hemant Kumar,” would send a ₹2 lakh advance.
On July 27, Hemant called via WhatsApp, transferring ₹1 for verification before requesting she send ₹40,000 and ₹50,000 “to match UTR numbers.” When the money didn’t reflect as debited, he claimed transfer issues and pressed her to send ₹1.5 lakh each to three others — Anuj Kairon, Rejesh, and Karan.
Though initially hesitant, the victim complied after threats about “CISF official account” payments. Across eight transactions, she sent the scammers ₹5.4 lakh, later realising it was a fraud. She disputed the transfers with her bank and filed a complaint at East CEN Crime Police Station under the IT Act and BNS Section 318.
Police are tracking the suspects and warn the public about UTR-mismatch scams, where fake “payment verification” requests trick victims into sending money.