Mangaluru: A woman identified as Farida has allegedly scammed a laptop store in the city, making off with devices worth ₹1.98 lakh by using a bounced cheque and a fabricated NEFT receipt.
The accused, reportedly a serial fraudster with multiple cases already registered in Mangaluru, Udupi, and Moodbidri, is said to have targeted Laptop Bazaar located in Empire Mall. She obtained three laptops under false pretenses.
In late June, Farida contacted the store claiming urgency—she needed a MacBook for her son flying to Qatar the next day. Claiming she had no access to cash or a functioning Indian bank account, she offered to pay by cheque. A boy arrived at the store with the cheque, and Farida falsely stated she was a well-known customer with close ties to the shop owner. Since it was the fourth Saturday (a bank holiday), the cheque could not be verified immediately.
A few days later, she again approached the store requesting a Windows laptop, this time assuring payment via NEFT. She sent a forged payment confirmation through WhatsApp. Trusting her again, the store handed over two more laptops.
By Monday, the cheque bounced and the NEFT was confirmed as fake. The store, realizing they were duped, has demanded Farida’s arrest, stating that she has repeatedly used similar tricks in the coastal region.