Ballygunge resident scammed by imposter claiming to be relative, loses Rs 2.5 lakh

A Ballygunge resident fell victim to a scam in which he received a call from someone claiming to be a "relative" in Singapore urgently needing money for a medical emergency in India. The elderly resident of Mayfair Road, who had not seen this "relative" in many years, believed the imposter's claims and transferred Rs 2.5 lakh to two bank accounts as instructed. The imposter even made video calls, resembling the alleged relative, further convincing the victim.

The sequence of events began on September 22 when the victim received a WhatsApp message from the imposter, who identified himself as "Arvind Agarwal," a name that matched that of one of the victim's close relatives.

The imposter informed the victim about an accident involving his sister-in-law in Barrackpore and requested Rs 75,000 for her medical treatment. The victim complied with the request and transferred the money to a provided bank account. Subsequently, the imposter continued to demand more funds and convinced the victim to send an additional Rs 55,000 to an account in Belgaum, Karnataka.

However, suspicions arose on September 23 when the imposter requested even more money, citing rising hospital expenses. At this point, the victim and his family grew suspicious and managed to contact the real Arvind Agarwal, who confirmed that he was not in Singapore and that none of his relatives had been involved in an accident. The family filed a police complaint on September 24. The cyber cell of the police department has initiated an investigation into the scam.