Thane woman duped of Rs 15.7 lakh in parcel delivery fraud

The woman, who lives near Thane railway station in Maharashtra, alleged that two persons contacted her on her Dubai mobile number on April 14 and informed her that her gold ornaments and a high-end phone had arrived at the Mumbai airport from Italy, an official from Naupada police station said.

A 61-year-old woman from Thane, who had worked as a baby caretaker in Dubai, has allegedly been cheated of Rs 15.76 lakh under the pretext of receiving a parcel containing valuables from abroad, police said on Thursday. The woman, who lives near Thane railway station in Maharashtra, alleged that two persons contacted her on her Dubai mobile number on April 14 and informed her that her gold ornaments and a high-end phone had arrived at the Mumbai airport from Italy, an official from Naupada police station said. ''They told her that the consignment needed to be cleared before April 22 and threatened that if she failed to do so, she would face legal action and would not be allowed to go back to Dubai,'' the official said. The fraudsters allegedly made multiple calls to the woman from different numbers and shared bank account details via WhatsApp, coercing her into transferring money on several occasions, he said. ''Under pressure and fear of arrest, the woman transferred Rs 15,76,000 into various bank accounts provided by the fraudsters,'' the official said. The woman approached the police on Tuesday, following which a case was registered against two unidentified persons under sections 318(4) (cheating) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Efforts were underway to trace the culprits, the police added.