A shocking case has come to light in Dehradun, where a retired colonel was defrauded of 85 lakh rupees in a cyber scam. According to reports, the fraudsters lured the colonel into purchasing and selling rare herbal seeds used in the treatment of serious illnesses like cancer and depression.
Cyber Crime: A shocking cyber fraud case has emerged from Dehradun, where retired Colonel Surjit Singh was swindled out of 85 lakh rupees under the guise of rare herbal seeds. This fraud, which began on Facebook, appears to be an international conspiracy, allegedly involving a foreign woman, a pharmaceutical company manager, and a fake farmer. The case is now under investigation by the cyber crime police station.
Sara Walter's 'Friend Request' Proved Costly
The entire incident began on June 12th when a woman named Sara Walter, claiming to be a resident of Ukraine, contacted the colonel on Facebook. Sara claimed to be working as a nurse at the Royal Infirmary Hospital in Bristol, UK. After a period of friendly conversation, Sara proposed an interesting deal—the buying and selling of rare herbal seeds used in medicines for cancer, depression, and other serious illnesses.
Fake Pharma Company and the Lure of High Profits
Sara introduced the colonel to a person named Elizabeth Frank, who claimed to be the Procurement Manager of Abbott Pharmaceutical Company. She shared a model for the buying and selling of the seeds, explaining that the seeds would be purchased from India and sold in the international market, promising the colonel a large profit.
The seeds were priced at 81,000 rupees per packet, which were to be sold to the company for approximately 1.6 lakh rupees (2000 dollars). The initial order was for 100 packets, meaning the total transaction reached around 85 lakh rupees.
The Name of 'Farmer' Sonam Thapa from Arunachal Came to Light
The company provided the name of an Indian farmer, Sonam Thapa, who was claimed to be from Arunachal Pradesh, for the supply of seeds. The colonel was instructed to make direct payments to him. Between June 12th and 29th, he made payments of a total of 85 lakh rupees in installments to various bank accounts. Initially, some emails and invoices were also sent for credibility, but as time passed, neither the seeds nor the receipts arrived.
When the colonel tried to find information about Sonam Thapa locally, it was discovered that no such farmer existed. The name, Aadhaar details, and bank details were all fake.
Realizing the fraud, the colonel immediately filed a complaint at the cyber crime police station. After a swift investigation, the police have registered a case against unknown individuals under the IT Act and fraud charges. The police also believe that this case may be linked to a planned international cyber gang, as it involves foreign identities, a fake pharmaceutical company, and the use of different bank accounts.
