Bengaluru: A group of crooks introduced themselves as associates of an oil company based in Uttar Pradesh and, on the pretext of selling petroleum products, allegedly cheated a city-based lubricant-manufacturing firm of Rs 25.1 lakh. The managing director of the company has lodged a complaint with the CEN Crime police, seeking action against the fraudsters who have gone incommunicado.The accused introduced themselves as Akshaya Mishra, Apoorva Mishra, Sharma, and Akanksha on June 11, through a WhatsApp message from the number 9667274437. They proposed a deal, claiming they had a huge stock of petroleum products. Akshaya claimed he wanted to sell the stock at subsidised rates as their partnership was in the process of being closed for financial reasons.Later, the MD received messages regarding the same from other numbers: 9520859555, 9667274437, and 9319790671. The senders made him believe their credentials by sharing photocopies of cheques, PAN card, and GST details. After collecting details of the products and finding the prices quoted reasonable, the MD agreed to buy them and a deal was struck for Rs 25.1 lakh.Subsequently, Akshaya came up with a story that he had another buyer ready, and if the complainant didn’t proceed with the deal, he would close the offer. He pressured the MD to transfer the money to his account number. Based on such representations and telephonic and WhatsApp communications, the company agreed to remit payments in advance for the purported supply of petroleum products. The crooks assured him they would transport the products soon after receiving the money. The complainant, through his company, transferred the deal amount in 12 different transactions on July 10.However, despite repeated follow-ups via phone, the accused failed to deliver the promised goods and instead became unreachable and evasive in their communication. Their mobile numbers were switched off from July 14, prompting the victim to approach the cops.A senior police officer said a case has been registered under the Information Technology Act and BNS Section 318 (cheating).
