Mumbai, Apr 19 (PTI): A cashier of a state-run insurance company lost Rs 10.38 lakh after fraudsters lured him with the promise of a hefty reward in exchange for a Re 1 note, an official said on Saturday.

The incident came to light on Thursday, when the 45-year-old complainant, a resident of Mumbai’s Santacruz West, approached the West Region Cyber Police Station, the official said.

The man, who works at the Churchgate branch of the insurer, told the police that he came across an advertisement while watching social media reels on February 23.

The ad promised a reward of Rs 4.53 lakh to those producing a one-rupee note. It had a WhatsApp number, the official said.

The cashier sent a photo of a Re 1 note on the WhatsApp number, following which a person, who introduced himself as Pankaj Singh, got in touch with him. Singh said he worked at a coin shop.

The caller asked the man to fill out a form and collected Rs 6,160 for "registration". After some time, he again called the complainant, saying the earlier amount was incorrect and he would need to transfer Rs 6,107, the official said.

The caller also promised that the previously transferred amount would be refunded. Subsequently, Singh connected the complainant with another person, who identified himself as Arun Sharma.

Sharma sent the victim a letter from “RBI” about winning the reward in exchange for a Re 1 note.

However, the two smooth-talked the cashier and collected Rs 10.38 lakh from the complainant under various pretexts, the official said.

The cashier realised that he had been duped when the accused told him the reward amount could be raised to Rs 25.56 lakh if he paid Rs 6 lakh more. He then approached the police.

A case has been registered under the IT Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the official said, adding that a probe was underway.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Bengaluru, May 21 (PTI): The body of an unidentified woman was found stuffed inside a suitcase near the railway tracks in Chandapura, located in Anekal on the outskirts of Bengaluru on Wednesday, police said.

No apparent injury marks were visible on the body, they said.

Citing a preliminary investigation, a senior police officer said that the woman, whose age is estimated to be at least 18 or above and her identity is yet to be established. She may have been murdered elsewhere. It appears that after killing, the accused stuffed the body inside the suitcase with the intention of disposing it of in an isolated place.

According to the initial inquiry, it appears that the suitcase with the stuffed body was allegedly thrown from a moving train, he said.

The abandoned suitcase was spotted by a passerby who alerted the police.

"Since no apparent injuries were visible on the body, we suspect that she would have been either strangled or smothered. However, only after postmortem, we would be able to ascertain the exact cause of her death," he added.

CK Baba, Bengaluru Rural Superintendent of Police, said, "We have begun our investigation and have registered a case of murder at Suryanagar police station. It appears that the suitcase was thrown most likely from a running train. The suitcase contained only the body-- no ID or personal belongings were found. We will continue investigating the case thoroughly."

Get all the latest, breaking news from Karnataka in a single click. CLICK HERE to get all the latest news from Karnataka.