Former 'Indian Idol' contestant Avanti Patel duped in cyber fraud
What's the story
Former Indian Idol contestant Avanti Patel was cheated of Rs. 1.7 lakh in a cyber fraud case recently. According to media reports, the accused posed as a bank executive and cheated her on the pretext of debit card verification. Soon after she filed a complaint, the imposter was arrested. Avanti participated in Indian Idol 10, winner of which was Salman Ali. Here's more.
Details
Accused already had Avanti's account details
Reportedly, Avanti got a new debit card recently, following which she got a call from the accused, who posed as a bank executive. The accused offered Avanti assistance to activate her debit card and asked her the details. While Avanti refused initially, he convinced her by telling her the card number and the amount of money available in her account.
Hacking
Accused hacked Avanti's sister account, stole Rs. 25,000 from it
Thereafter, the accused debited Rs. 50,000 thrice from Avanti's account, but assured that the money would be refunded soon. He also asked Avanti to give the details of any other account, to which the money could be refunded. When the singer shared her sister's bank account details, the accused debited Rs. 25,000 from the second account as well on the same day itself.
Investigation
Complaint filed at Sion police station, investigation is underway
After realizing the gravity of the matter, Avanti filed a complaint at the Sion police station. Based on her complaint, a case was registered under IPC Section 420 and several other sections of the Information Technology Act. "With the help of details of the accused shared by Patel like the mobile number and bank details we have started the investigation," a police officer stated.
Arrest
Accused arrested with the help of Mumbai police's Cyber Cell
Reportedly, the police tracked down the accused in Jharkhand. A police team was sent to Jharkhand and accused Rajkumar Mandal was arrested. Around 15 mobile phones, four passbooks and a debit card were seized from him. "The accused transferred the money through different bank accounts he owned," the official added. Rajkumar was produced in court from where he was remanded into police custody.