Woman defrauded of Rs 15 lakh by Instagram friend in Hyderabad

The man told the woman that he was sending gifts worth over Rs 1 crore to her from the UK. Two days later, the woman received a phone call from a man disguising himself as a customs officer, who asked her to pay the courier charges of Rs 15 lakh in order to get the gifts.

Hyderabad: A 30-year-old woman from Hyderabad has been cheated of Rs 15 lakh by her Instagram friend on the pretext of marriage. It has been learned that the woman working in a corporate company was befriended by a man on Instagram who told her that he was living in the UK. The man told her that he had lots of assets in the UK and was looking to marry an Indian girl and hoped she was the right spouse.

The man further told the woman that he was sending gifts worth over Rs 1 crore from the UK to her. Two days later, the woman received a phone call from a man disguising himself as a customs officer, who asked her to pay the courier charges of Rs 15 lakh in order to get the gifts. Despite transferring money into different accounts, she did not get the gifts after a week making her realize that she had been cheated.

A case has been registered into the incident over the woman's complaint. Cyber ​​Crime ACP G Sridhar said that "there have been such instances wherein the accused introduce themselves as being well-settled in America, England, Germany, and Australia, and get acquainted with young women on Instagram. Foreign phone numbers are used to make people believe that they are calling from a foreign country due to which the victims are easily getting deceived," he said.