Mumbai, September 14: In yet another scam in Mumbai, a city-based actor was allegedly duped of INR 5.10 lakh in a gift scam. The incident came to light after the victim, identified as Shalini Jha approached the Malad police on Thursday, September 12, and lodged a complaint. The 28-year-old actor who specialises in VFX movies was reportedly duped of over INR 5 lakh in the gift scam.

In her complaint, Jha told cops that incident occurred between August 8 and September 8 when she received a friend request from a man while she was at her home in Malad. The woman also told cops that she accepted the friend request of the man who identified himself as Amarpreet Singh and started chatting with him. The two even exchanged numbers after meeting each other on Facebook. Mumbai Shocker: 67-Year-Old Temple Priest Attacked With Knife by Youth in Malad, 2 Booked.

Accused Lures Woman, Sends Gift for Her Worth Around INR 90 Lakh

A few days after befriending Jha, Singh allegedly called her and offered the actor a job in the UK. As per the complaint, the alleged fraudster also sent her a marriage proposal and promised to start her visa formalities to help her move to the United Kingdom at the earliest. On August 7, the accused told Jha that he sent a gift for her which was worth around INR 90 lakh.

Fraudster Dupes Malad Woman Through Gift Scam

Two days later, Jha received a call from a man who said he was from the airport and told her that she had to pay INR 9 lakh tax to claim her gift. However, as Jha did not pay the money, she received a call on August 9 from a man who claimed to be from the Income Tax department. The caller allegedly claimed that the parcel would be seized if she did not pay the tax amount to claim the gift. Cybercrimes Rise in Navi Mumbai: Scammers Find New Ways to Dupe Gullible People in Stock Market Frauds, Says Report.

Following this, the complainant transferred INR 5.10 lakh to a bank account given to her by the fraudster. Nearly a month later, Jha received a call asking her to On September 9, she received a call asking her to make the remaining payment. After this, the complainant approached her sister-in-law for a loan who questioned the reason.

When Jha revealed the reason, her sister-in-law made her realise that it was a scam and that she was being duped. The woman was reportedly cheated on INR 5.10 lakh in the gift scam. Meanwhile, the police have launched a probe in connection with the matter.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 14, 2024 04:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).