Resident duped by man claiming to be an Army officer

Complainant had posted an advertisement offering his house on rent

A resident of the city is said to have been cheated of ₹2.23 lakh by a man claiming to be an Army officer.

According to a complaint filed with the Cyber Crime Police Station, Ankit Vijay put out an advertisement on Magic Bricks portal stating that his house was available for rent. In response, a man claiming to be an officer in the Indian Army called Vijay and said that he was working in Ahmedabad and recently moved to Mangaluru. Expressing his interest in taking Vijay’s house on rent, the man said that he was willing to pay monthly rent of ₹10,000 and ₹25,000 as advance amount. To substantiate that he was in the Indian Army, the man sent to Vijay’s mobile his photograph taken in Army uniform and also his Aadhaar card.

The man asked Vijay to scan the QR code sent through the PayTM app and send ₹50. After Vijay sent the amount, the impersonator said that he has to return to Ahmedabad for paying back a loan amount and asked Vijay for help. Vijay scanned the QR code and sent him ₹25,000 twice. He later sent amounts on different dates and he paid a total of ₹2,23,500. With the impersonator remaining incommunicado, Vijay filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime Police.