Newton actor Anjali Patil duped of over Rs 5.5 lakh in fake drug parcel scam

Anjali Patil fell prey to an online fraud. The actor was told about a narcotics parcel that had been seized and bore her name. To clear her name, the Newton actor paid the fake officers around Rs 5.5 lakh.

Hyderabad:Bollywood actor Anjali Patil, who has acted in films like Chakravyuh, Newton, and Rajinikanth's Kala, recently lost Rs 5.79 lakh to a 'drug package' cyber fraud. The DN Nagar police in Mumbai registered a case in this respect on December 29 and the investigation is underway.

According to the FIR, on December 28, Andheri West resident Anjali received a call from Deepak Sharma, who introduced himself as a DebEx Courier Company employee and informed her that there were narcotics in a shipment bearing her name. Sharma informed Anjali that the parcel, which was destined for Taiwan using her Aadhaar card, was confiscated by the customs authorities. He also informed her that it was a case of identity theft and advised her to contact the Mumbai cyber police department.

Meanwhile, Anjali received a Skype call from someone claiming to be a Mumbai cyber police officer named Banerjee. According to the FIR, Banerjee informed her that her Aadhaar card was linked to three bank accounts that were involved in a money laundering case. The fake officer sought Rs 96,525 to verify her bank account with the finance department to address the issue.

After Anjali sent the money, Banerjee informed her that it was a well-organized crime in which certain bank officials were also involved, and requested Rs 4,83,291 from her for additional verification and assistance in clearing her identity, according to a police officer. Anjali deposited the specified sum to close the matter and refrain from a police investigation.

When she returned home and alerted her landlord, the landlord told her that it could be a scam. On December 29, she approached the police and filed a complaint. "We have registered a case of cyber fraud and are further investigating the matter," informed another officer from DN Nagar police station.

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