Online loan search costs elderly ` 1.86L

In yet another cyber fraud, a senior citizen was duped to the tune of Rs 1.86 lakh on the pretext of paying charges to avail a personal loan from a renowned financial institution upto Rs 10 lakh. Af ter paying hef ty processing charges with the imposter pressing for more money, the senior citizen realised that he had fallen prey to a con and stopped. He then approached Meghwadi Police and lodged a complaint. In the first week of July, an Andheribased 61year-old man was looking up an online search engine for loans, when he found a number and contacted it. A man introduced himself as a loan agent of a prominent financial institution, who offered the senior a loan upto Rs 10 lakh at an inviting interest rate.

The senior citizen was ver y keen on getting a loan and conveyed the same to the agent. The accused then informed the complainant about the loan processing charges and asked him to pay Rs 1,85,772 in a series of transactions for various charges. When the man asked for additional charges, the senior was alarmed and immediately stopped making the payments.

Soon af ter the realization, the senior approached the bank and later the police to report the matter. Accordingly, Meghwadi Police registered a complaint and booked the unidentified accused under relevant sections of the IPC and Information Technology Act for cheating. While police are investigating the matter and have sought details, no arrests have been made yet.

A senior police official said that citizens should practice caution and not make any online transactions based on just telephonic conversations and believe any person who is offering huge loans. One should always double check the credibility and authenticity of the person calling you and, only af ter consulting an expert, should they go ahead, said the official.