A 44-year-old woman residing in Mangaluru has fallen prey to an elaborate courier scam, losing Rs 6.84 lakh to fraudsters who posed as international cargo agents. The scammers promised the delivery of a high-value parcel allegedly sent by her husband, who works abroad in Dubai.
How the Scam Unfolded
According to the complaint filed by the victim, her husband regularly sends parcels containing household items from Dubai. On April 21, she received a WhatsApp call from an international number. The caller claimed that her husband had sent a parcel and instructed that it be routed through a specific cargo service.
On April 27, the same caller contacted her again, stating that the parcel contained gold, British pounds, a diamond watch, and a bag, collectively valued at approximately Rs 5.5 crore. He mentioned that the parcel was shipped via air cargo. The following day, she was asked to contact another number regarding delivery.
When she called the provided number, the fraudster on the other end demanded Rs 1,10,500 as customs charges. Believing the claim, she transferred the amount. On April 29, the scammers demanded Rs 4.4 lakh as GST charges. When she hesitated, they convinced her to pay half the amount, Rs 2.2 lakh, which she complied with.
On April 30, she was asked to pay the remaining GST amount of Rs 2.2 lakh along with Rs 30,000 as documentation charges. Trusting the fraudsters, she deposited Rs 2.5 lakh into a bank account. Later the same day, the scammers claimed that the parcel contained one lakh British pounds that needed to be converted into Indian currency, for which they demanded Rs 3.8 lakh. When she refused, they persuaded her to pay Rs 1 lakh, promising that Rs 32 lakh would be delivered to her by evening. She transferred this amount to another bank account.
Aftermath and Police Action
No parcel was ever delivered. Realizing she had been cheated, the victim filed a complaint with the Mangaluru East police, stating that unidentified individuals fraudulently collected a total of Rs 6.84 lakh from her in multiple stages. The police have registered a case and are investigating the matter.
