Pune, October 20: A Pune woman has been duped to the tune of Rs 3.28 lakh by alleged fraudsters promising her a 'Kaun Banega Crorepati Lucky Draw' reward. The victim, Vijaya Kumbhkar, was first reached out by the accused in July last year, claiming that she had won Rs 25 lakh and a car under the KBC lucky draw scheme.

Vijaya, an employee of a private firm in Ganeshpur locality, was initially reluctant to fall into the trap and inquired how she was selected by KBC despite not participating in the program's lucky draw contest. Provident Fund Fraud! Google Shares Conster's Number on Searching 'EPFO Bandra Office Contact Details'.

The caller, identified as Rajkumar, had convinced Vijaya by claiming that the mobile phone operator had randomly entered her cell number, which got selected in the lucky draw.

The victim was subsequently approached by another caller, who introduced himself as Abdullah, and asked her to deposit Rs 30,000 into an account number provided by him. He told her that the deposit was necessitated as part of the transaction fees.

Considering that Rs 30,000 was a small amount vis-a-vis the reward of Rs 25 lakh she was offered, Vijaya decided to deposit the said amount.

According to the officials at the Sinhgad police station, where the case is registered, Vijaya was asked to deposit such transaction fees on six occasions since July 2017. "She ended up paying Rs 3.28 lakh through six installments," said inspector Sangita Yadav.

A case has been registered against Rajkumar and Abdullah, who are yet to be traced by the police. They have been booked under IPC sections 419 (impersonation), 420 (cheating) and provisions of the IT act.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 20, 2018 10:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).