A 36-year-old woman running a cashew trading business has allegedly been cheated of Rs 6.6 lakh by fraudsters who promised to supply cashew nuts but vanished after collecting the payment.
According to a complaint filed with the police, the victim, identified as Lavanya (name changed), a resident of Haralur, was contacted through WhatsApp on June 5 by an unknown person claiming to offer cashew nuts for sale at attractive rates.
Interested in the business proposal, Lavanya initiated discussions with the sender regarding the purchase of a consignment. The accused subsequently shared a quotation allegedly issued by Sri Laxmi Cashew Industries. Investigators later found that the document was fake.
Fraudsters gained trust with fake documents
Believing the offer to be genuine, Lavanya initially transferred Rs 25,000 to the bank account provided by the accused. A few days later, on June 9, she made another payment of Rs 4,10,750 towards the purchase of the cashew consignment.
To further convince her that the deal was legitimate, the fraudsters allegedly shared transport details and claimed that the shipment had already been dispatched. Trusting the information, Lavanya transferred an additional Rs 2,25,000.
In total, she paid Rs 6,60,750 through multiple transactions.
Consignment never arrived
Police said the accused neither delivered the promised consignment nor provided satisfactory responses when contacted. After repeated attempts to reach them failed, Lavanya realised she had been duped and approached the authorities.
A case has been registered at the South-East Cyber Crime Police Station under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act and Sections 318 (cheating) and 319 (cheating by personation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Police have launched an investigation to trace the accused and identify the individuals involved in the fraud.