Approached in golden hour, police recovers money lost in cyber-fraud

UDUPI: The Udupi CEN (Cyber, Economic and Narcotics) police have helped a man recover Rs 3 lakh that he had transferred to a cyber fraudster on September 5.

A group of fraudsters spun a lie that the son of Eurobond company’s owner had met with an accident in Kumta and needed immediate money for an airlift from Uttara Kannada to Mangaluru. Pramod Kumar Shetty, who is associated with firm, got a WhatsApp call showing the firm owner’s name. Believing the story, he transferred Rs 3 lakh by online transfer. However, the caller switched off the phone immediately after the money was transferred.

Pramod Kumar Shetty, who lost money to the cyberfraudster.

The Eurobond company staff, who became suspicious, immediately filed a complaint with the Udupi CEN police, who froze the account to which the money had been transferred.

The main culprit belongs to Surat, and his two other associates are from Maharashtra. All the three were arrested, and after legal procedures, the money was refunded to the victim through the National Cyber Crime Reporting portal.

Akshay, the superintendent of police.

“People should be aware of cyber fraudsters, who typically pose as bank officials and instruct them to click on unverified links. If a victim loses money, they should not hesitate to report it to the national cyber crime reporting portal, which will help you trace the culprit. The victim should approach within the golden hour, “said Udupi Superintendent of Police Akshay M Hakay.