Noida woman cheated by an Instagram fraudster who took money for customs clearance
New Delhi, August 18
A Noida woman allegedly lost Rs. four lakhs to a fraudster who claimed to be a UK resident and asked her to transfer money to release his gift seized by the customs department.
The complainant Akansha Soni is a resident of Noida Sector 15. In her complaint, Soni said she connected with a person who identified himself as Raymond Pedro on Instagram in June.
The police said that the victim was told he is a resident of the United Kingdom. Later, he claimed he was sending a valuable gift to her alongwith some foreign currency.
After a few days, the woman claimed she got a call from a person who identified herself as an officer from India’s customs department and said they needed Rs.four lakhs to clear the foreign shipment.
According to police, the complainant transferred the money into two bank accounts, but she did not receive the parcel.
The alleged customs officer demanded more money and that’s when Soni suspected fraud and filed a complaint with the Noida cyber cell on August 13.
The cyber cell conducted a preliminary investigation and then directed the Noida Sector 20 police to register a case.
The Sector 20 police station of Noida Police, registered against the Instagram profile owner under Indian Penal Code Section 420 (cheating) and under Section 66-D of the IT Act.
