Diwali 'cheers' turn sour as Delhi man loses Rs 1.72 lakh in cyber fraud

New Delhi, Nov 1 (PTI) What began as a festive plan to gift champagne for Diwali ended in fizzled spirits after a Delhi man was duped of Rs 1.72 lakh by cyber frauds, allegedly posing as an online liquor store.

According to an FIR lodged on October 24 at the Cyber Police Station in Central Delhi, the man, while looking to purchase champagne online, landed upon a fake website promising liquor delivery.

"Neither were the bottles delivered, nor was the balance credited back to my account," the victim said in the complaint.

The complainant, a resident of East Patel Nagar, told the police that, on September 17, while searching online to purchase wine for gifting purposes on Diwali, he came across a platform named "Discovery Wines" which appeared among the top search results.

On opening it, he found a contact number and reached out to inquire about the available products, read the FIR.

The complainant said he was redirected to a number and a person received it, and they discussed product details and prices over the next two days.

"On September 19, I confirmed an order for 25 bottles, making online payments totalling Rs 1.12 lakh over multiple transactions," the FIR read, adding that, a day later, the scammers contacted the complainant again and asked him to make a balance payment.

After some difficulty in transferring the amount through one UPI ID, the victim was sent another bank account number to which he transferred Rs 60,000, bringing the total amount to around Rs 1.72 lakh.

The man was assured that the bottles would be delivered on the same night or the following morning. "I contacted the same number to enquire about the delivery status. They assured me the bottles would arrive that night or the next morning (September 21), but the delivery never came," the FIR read.

When he tried calling the same number the next day (September 22), none answered. "They just texted that they will update," the complainant said.

"Then they went completely silent. My calls were not answered, and shortly after that, the number was switched off," the FIR read.

According to the FIR registered under sections 318(4) (cheating), the victim was defrauded of Rs 1,72,800 between September 17 and 20.

A police officer on Friday said that teams have been formed to nab the accused, and they are checking the money trail.

"The accused will be behind bars soon," said the officer. PTI SGV BM ARB AMJ AMJ