Mumbai, Saturday (February 25): A woman from Worli-Koliwada was duped at more than Rs 61,000. To avail of a loan at a low-interest rate, she applied for a loan via Instagram reel.

The complainant, Rutali Kolge, lodged an FIR against the fraud loan services on Friday (February 17). The woman was looking for a loan at a low-interest rate to expand her business. She clicked on a link given in the online form of an Instagram reel, following which she got a call from a person from the loan services.

The man who called her introduced himself as Pankaj Singh Bhaduria. He explained the terms and conditions of applying for the loan, including - the period, interest rate, and other details. Although the woman wanted to apply for a loan of Rs 5 lakh only, the representative of the fraud bank convinced her to avail of at least a loan of Rs 10 lakh. Online Fraud in Mumbai: Man Poses as Woman on Social Media, Dupes College Student of Rs 98,000 After Luring Her To Invest in Bitcoins; Arrested.

The man shared relevant documents with Kolge, including his Identity card and bank documents with the company's logos. Subsequently, Kolge shared her details via WhatsApp, including her PAN card, Aadhar card, and other documents. Pradhan Mantri Mudra Loan Scam: Delhi Police Busts Fake Call Centre Cheating People on Pretext of Providing Loan; 7 Persons Arrested.

In an HT report, the woman said, "He sent me a QR code to pay the processing fee. He also sent me a PDF on the payment of this fee, which he said was my loan approval document."

Following this, she was again asked to make payments using NEFT and RTGS methods. She was asked to pay GST and TDS also. While the third time she was asked to make a payment, she decided to visit the bank branch personally.

The next day, her mother and brother checked the bank and found nothing at the address. This intrigued Kolge, 24, to register a complaint at the police station.

An official from Dadar police said that they had registered a case against the two people named by the complainant in her statement. “The two accused have been booked under sections 419 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code as well as the relevant sections of the IT Act,” he said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 25, 2023 03:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).