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The incident happened on Oct 13, when his father received a WhatsApp call from an unknown number, according to the complaint filed by Prashanth (name changed). He offered to arrange one car for a payment of Rs 25,000. A case has been registered under the Information Technology Act and BNS section 318 (cheating).
The caller introduced himself as a GBA assistant revenue officer and claimed that two cars were available under a BBMP welfare scheme at a subsidised price. His father gave the phone to Prashanth, who spoke to the fraudster. The accused subsequently contacted both cousins, sent them QR codes for payments and shared application forms bearing the BBMP welfare scheme name. He also sought their personal details, claiming they were required for verification and processing. However, the accused stopped answering their calls and failed to deliver the promised cars. Suspecting they had been cheated, Prashanth contacted the cybercrime helpline and later filed a complaint with East Cyber Crime police.
Bengaluru: A promise of subsidised cars under a civic welfare scheme turned into a Rs 1 lakh fraud for two cousins after a cybercrook posing as a Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) assistant revenue officer duped them with false assurances of vehicle allotment.