Retired govt teacher in Manesar cheated of nearly Rs 12 lakh by ‘Facebook friend from UK’; probe on

Their chats soon moved to WhatsApp, where she used a United Kingdom number and shared her plans to visit India to meet him, sparking both scepticism and excitement in the retired teacher. “Maine kahan haan aa jayo. Mujhe kya pata tha? Kaun sahi mein aata bhi (I said yes, do come. How would I know? Who even ends up travelling for this),” he said.

On July 26, he allegedly got a call from a woman from Delhi claiming to be Johan’s mother, saying that she trusted him to ensure a safe trip for her daughter.

Call from an ‘immigration officer’

The illusion, however, took a dramatic turn on July 28, when Ramniwas received a call from someone claiming to be an immigration officer at Mumbai airport. The caller said Johan had been detained with $50,000, worth about Rs 58 lakh, and demanded a Rs 37,500 penalty. During the call, Ramniwas also spoke to a woman who claimed to be Johan, who pleaded for his help, promising to repay him.

Trusting her, he transferred the amount from his State Bank of India (SBI) account via PhonePe to a UPI ID provided by the caller, the complaint stated. The demand, however, did not stop there.

“Maine tab pehli baar socha fraud ho sakta hain aur pucha bhi (That is when I first thought this could be fraud)… But then she would get on the call then and I believed her,” he said.

Rs 11.77 lakh sent in multiple transactions

The scammers insisted that he pay Rs 85,000 for an Anti-Money Laundering Certificate and later Rs 1,75,000 as a tax to transfer the supposed Rs 58 lakh to his account. Between July 28 and July 30, Ramniwas made ten transactions, amounting to Rs 11,77,499, he stated in his complaint to the police.

This included transactions of Rs 37,500 and Rs 25,000 via PhonePe from his SBI accounts, Rs 60,000 and Rs 95,000 via PhonePe from his Canara Bank account, Rs 1,75,000 via NEFT to a YES Bank account, Rs 3,00,000 via RTGS to an IDBI Bank account, Rs 2,80,000 via RTGS to another YES Bank account, two transfers of Rs 1 lakh via NEFT to YES Bank accounts, and Rs 4,999 via PhonePe from his RBL Bank account.

The fraud came to light when Ramniwas asked for his money back. The scammers then blocked him, cutting off all contact. “Mann behlane k liye hi add kiya tha, lekin fraud ho gaya (I had added her as a friend just to divert my mind, but I was defrauded),” he said.

Ramniwas then reported the fraud to the cyber helpline (1930), and received an acknowledgment number. On Monday evening, he filed a complaint detailing his ordeal at the cyber crime police station in Manesar.

The police registered a First Information Report (FIR) under sections 318(4) (cheating involving valuable security) and 319(2) (cheating by personation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Ramniwas has a son and a grandchild. His daughter-in-law passed away recently. “I am alone during the day, my son goes to work and grandson would be in school. If fate favours me, I will get the money back, or maybe just Rs 1-2 lakh.”