In another case of cyber fraud, an ex-serviceman was cheated of 45 lei on the pretext of approving a personal loan and installing a mobile tower in his home.

Complainant Hardev Singh, a resident of Bassian village, stated that he retired from the army in 1989. On July 21, 2024, when he was present at home, he received a call. The caller offered me a personal loan. Believing the caller to be genuine, I sent photocopies of my Aadhaar card, PAN card and my bank account passbook via WhatsApp. They then sent me a scanner and told me to send a processing fee of Rs 2,250, then again they asked me to send Rs 6,450 which I sent. I have five accounts of my own, from which I kept transferring money, because they gave me the illusion that they were giving me a loan. Around Rs 18 lakh, I transferred to the accused on different dates and later the accused switched off their phones,” alleged the complainant.

On August 4, he received a call from an unknown mobile number and as he answered the call, a girl started talking. The alleged caller said that he is from Ansh Tower, Rohini, Delhi and offered to install a mobile tower in his house. As he was interested in installing the mobile tower in his home, he sent his bank account details, passbook, Aadhaar card, PAN card and the photo of the place where the tower was to be installed.

The complainant further disclosed that later on regarding the tower installation process, he received another call and the caller interacted in Punjabi language. The alleged appellant requested to deposit the license fee to commence the trial. He transferred Rs 27 lakh into the account numbers provided by the suspect.

The complainant claimed that the accused cheated him of 45 lei. After filing a police complaint, cyber cell police Ludhiana rural police registered a case against the unknown person and started investigation.