Patna trader loses Rs 5L in cyber fraud

Patna, March 24 A 55-year-old city-based trader became a victim of cybercrime and was left poorer by Rs 5 lakh after he was duped on the pretext of having a date with a woman.

The incident came to light on Thursday evening when the victim reached the Kotwali police station in Patna and lodged a complaint against unknown persons.

Initially, the complainant claimed that he had won the lottery. The caller asked him to come to a particular hotel to collect the 'prize'. When he reached there on Wednesday evening, the accused took him at gunpoint and forcibly snatched his ATM card and transferred Rs 5 lakh from his account.

When the police officials pressed for more details, the victim revealed the original story.

"The complainant claimed that he was hiding the actual incident as it was embarrassing for him since it could ruin his image in family and society," said Sanjit Kumar, SHO of the Kotwali police station.

"We have registered an FIR under relevant sections of the IT Act as well as IPC sections against unknown persons and the investigation is underway," Kumar said.