Bengaluru: A 54-year-old vegetable vendor was allegedly duped of Rs 8 lakh in a currency exchange fraud near Banashankari Metro station early Sunday morning.The victim, Shakeel Ahmed, a resident of Shivajinagar, was approached by a woman, who introduced herself as Reshma, a couple of months ago. She claimed that she had a large amount of Saudi riyals and offered to provide a larger amount of riyals in exchange for Indian currency at a lower price. He could exchange them with others and make a profit.Ahmed was lured by the offer and agreed to exchange the riyals for Indian currency. He was asked to bring Rs 8 lakh near the metro station around 6 am.Accordingly, Ahmed reached the spot with two friends, where three persons arrived, handed him a bag purportedly containing riyals and, after collecting the cash, told him that it was unsafe for them to stay longer at the spot as someone could notice them and inform the police that they were exchanging the currency illegally.After five minutes, Ahmed opened the bag and was shocked to find newspaper cuttings instead of currency. After realising he had been duped, he rushed to Jayanagar police station and filed a complaint.Police registered a case of cheating and are examining CCTV footage from around the metro station to identify and trace the suspects.
