Delhi Doctor Seeks Rs 113 Cab Refund

Ends Up Losing Rs 5 Lakh in Digital Scam...

A doctor seeking a Rs 113 refund from a cab service ended up losing Rs 4.9 lakh in a digital scam after calling what he thought was a customer support number in New Delhi.

Pradeep Chowdhury from Arjun Nagar in Safdarjung Enclave filed a police complaint stating that he booked a cab to Gurgaon for Rs 205. However, upon completing the ride, he was charged Rs 318, according to a police source.

Inquiring about the Rs 113 overcharge, the doctor questioned the cabbie, who advised him to seek a refund through the cab service's customer care.

Chowdhury promptly searched the internet and discovered a phone number claiming to be affiliated with the cab company.

Upon making the call, the individual who answered posed as a customer care representative for the cab service. Chowdhury explained the situation, detailing the overcharge, and requested a refund.

The call was transferred to a person identifying himself as Rakesh Mishra.

Mishra instructed Chowdhury to download a remote sensing application, then guided him to open his e-wallet and enter the refund amount. Additionally, Mishra asked the victim to type the first six digits of his phone number into the amount field, explaining that it was part of the verification process, as reported by a Delhi Police source.

Chowdhury followed the instructions, entering the requested information and providing his OTP to Mishra. Unfortunately, this led to four unauthorized transactions, resulting in a loss of Rs 4.9 lakh to the fraudsters.

A case has been registered under IPC section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and section 66D of the IT Act. Authorities suspect that the scammers posted a fraudulent customer care number online, leading Chowdhury to fall victim to the trap during his search for the genuine cab company's customer care number. Investigative teams have been formed to crack the case, according to an official statement.