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.According to the complaint filed by Prashanth (name changed), the incident happened on Oct 13, when his father received a WhatsApp call from an unknown number. 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. He offered to arrange one car for a payment of Rs 25,000.Convinced by the fraudster’s offer, Prashanth told him that he needed cars for himself and his cousin.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.The caller later directed them to meet him at the BDA complex on 14th Main Road in Sector 6, HSR Layout, around 2pm. He demanded an additional Rs 25,000 from each of them, assuring them that the amount would be refunded after the cars were delivered.Believing the claims, the cousins made four UPI transactions of Rs 25,000 each to four companies: Elevateit Solutions Pvt Ltd, Chicbyte Technologies Pvt Ltd, Commerce Tools Enterprises Pvt Ltd and Lumivara Innovation Pvt Ltd, transferring a total of Rs 1 lakh.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. A case has been registered under the Information Technology Act and BNS section 318 (cheating).
