Mumbai: Man duped of Rs. 36 lakh on job promise
A 68-year-old man from Vartak Nagar in Thane has been duped of Rs. 36 lakh by unidentified persons on the false promise of providing a job in a US-based company, police said. The victim, Balwant Ranade, was looking for a job and had applied to various establishments. In June 2017, he received an e-mail purportedly from a petroleum company based in Dallas in USA.
Victim was mailed an 'appointment letter' as stores supervisor
The e-mail said that Ranade was being selected for a position of a stores supervisor in the Dallas-based company. It also gave him an "appointment letter" and instructed him to get in touch with one Lawrence Arnesto for further procedures. Within a couple of days, the victim was directed to get in touch with two other persons for the visa formalities, police said.
What did police official from Vartak Nagar police station say?
"The victim acted as per the instructions, believing that he has bagged the job. He made a payment of Rs. 36 lakh from time to time. On August 2017, he was asked to be present at the BKC center of the US visa processing office."
Ranade realized he was duped after calls, e-mails went unanswered
Ranade went to the office and tried in vain to get in touch with them for the visa on the telephone. He approached the US Consulate, where he didn't get any response. He realized that he had been duped after his e-mail to the trio went unresponded. Police have booked the unidentified accused under IPC sections 420 (cheating) and 406 (criminal breach of trust).
