Pune: A 36-year-old chartered accountant (CA) from Katraj lost Rs 46.75 lakh to cybercriminals between Sept and Dec last year while attempting to purchase a newly launched high-end phone at a discount of Rs 10,000.The Bharati Vidyapeeth police registered a case in the matter on Saturday after formally verifying the CA’s complaint, which had earlier been filed with the Pune Cyber Police.“The victim has been providing his services as a CA on the panel of various software and private companies,” senior inspector Rahul Khilare told TOI.According to the police, the victim continued to transfer money to three different bank accounts shared by the fraudsters, under the pretext of paying charges such as shipment, GST, and other fees.“He realised the total amount he had transferred only in Dec last year, when the accused continued demanding more money for delivering the promised phone,” he said.“It all started when the CA came across an advertisement while scrolling through his social media and clicked on it. One of the suspects then contacted him and promised a discount on the phone while asking for money transfers. The fraudsters charged money for shipment, GST and other expenses, which the victim kept paying online,” Khilare said.In Dec, the victim calculated the total amount he had paid and contacted the suspects, demanding delivery of the phone. “The accused asked for more money, at which point the CA realised he had been cheated,” the officer added.
