Mangaluru woman defrauded of Rs 20 lakh in work from home job scam
Mangaluru: A woman from Mangaluru has reportedly lost over Rs 20 lakh in a work from home scam after being lured through a social media advertisement.
The incident began on May 6, when the victim came across an Instagram ad offering part-time, remote job opportunities, according to a complaint filed with the Bajpe Police, as reported by Deccan Herald.
Upon clicking the ad, she was contacted via the Telegram messaging app by an individual who assigned simple online tasks such as liking and reviewing restaurants and hotels, submitting screenshots as proof of completion.
Initially, she was told she could earn commissions for completing the tasks. To create a sense of legitimacy, the scammers credited her account with Rs 120 and assigned her a “salary code.” She was also asked to share her bank details with a Telegram user named “Meena Reddy.”
Subsequently, she was added to multiple Telegram groups, each assigning additional tasks and gradually drawing her deeper into the fraud. She was directed to register on a trading platform via a link provided by “Meena Reddy” and was told to coordinate with individual named Rajesh Verma for commission payments and task execution.
Over time, she was introduced to multiple individuals—Rohit Sharma, Lucky Singh, and Ravi Patel—each through separate Telegram links, added the report.
The scammers built credibility and trust using small payouts and staged communication. Over a series of transactions, they allegedly defrauded her of a total amount of Rs 20.62 lakh.
The accused have since stopped responding, and the money has not been returned. A case has been registered at Bajpe police station, and further investigation is underway.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
