Pune: Cybercrooks duped a 31-year-old resident of Mangdewadi in Katraj of Rs4.17 lakh on the pretext of installing a mobile tower on the premises of his building. The crooks promised him a monthly rent of Rs25,000 and an advance of Rs40 lakh. They later took money from him on various pretexts and duped him. The man lodged a complaint with the Bharati Vidyapeeth police on Thursday.An officer from the Bharati Vidyapeeth police said the complainant came across an advertisement for a mobile tower in June this year. He filled out the form mentioned in the advertisement. The crooks then contacted him and sought details of his property. “They assured him a monthly rent of Rs25,000 for the mobile tower and an advance of Rs40 lakh,” the officer said.The officer said the crooks then sent him an approval letter and asked him to pay an application fee. Later, they sent him a copy of an agreement and asked him to pay a fee of Rs 24,000. “The crooks then told him that they would pay him Rs15 lakh as an advance and asked him to pay 10% TDS on that amount. The complainant transferred Rs1.5 lakh after the crooks assured him that the amount would be refunded immediately,” he said.The officer said the crooks then demanded money from him on various pretexts, including insurance charges, govt fees, GST and security deposits. Till July 10, the complainant transferred Rs4.17 lakh through 24 transactions to different bank accounts provided by the crooks. “He became suspicious when the crooks demanded another Rs1.32 lakh from him. He asked them to cancel the agreement and return his money. The crooks promised to return the money within 45 days and then stopped responding to his calls,” the officer said.The officer said the police have registered a case and sought details of the transactions from the complainant’s bank.
