INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
RAJKOT: An appointment with a doctor for a fee of Rs 5 at a private nursing home ultimately cost Junagadh farmer a whopping Rs 99,000! In
his complaint filed with the cyber crime police station last week, Praful Bharda, a resident of Samadhiyala Gir village of Maliya Hatina
taluka, was duped online in March and approached the police in April
According to the complaint, a nephew of Bharda, a farmer who is also completing his MBA, fell ill on March 27 and wanted Bharda to take him
to a private hospital in Keshod
Bharda searched the hospital's number in the search engine and got a mobile number
He dialled on the given number
When he called, a person picked up the call and identified himself as the receptionist of the hopsital
When Bharda wanted to book an appointment for his nephew, the person asked him to pay Rs 5 online to book an appointment and sent him a link
to fill the patient's details
Within minutes Bharda received a link from a mobile wherein he had to fill the patient's detail and pay Rs 5 as fee for appointment
He filled the link as instructed and paid Rs 5 using UPI ID
The next day, Bharda received a text message from his bank stating that Rs 99,000 had been debited from his account
He immediately blocked his account through mobile banking and contacted the branch, where he was asked to lodge a complaint of cyber fraud
"We have identified an account number of private bank in which the money was transferred and immediately withdrawn from ATM
The investigation is in progress." said a police official
