Fake Orthopaedic Surgeon in Gaza dupes Lawyer of Rs 6 Lakh
Cyber Crime
Mumbai: A man posing as a doctor stationed in Gaza has allegedly duped a Mumbai-based lawyer of Rs 6 lakh in a meticulously planned matrimonial fraud. The Borivli Police have registered an FIR in connection with the incident.
The incident began in July, when the complainant created a profile on a popular matrimonial website. She came across a profile of a man who introduced himself as Dr. Mohit, an orthopaedic surgeon working with an international humanitarian organisation headquartered in the US. According to him, he was a widower with two children, stationed in Gaza on assignment.
The two exchanged messages on the platform, moved to WhatsApp conversations, and spoke frequently. He used an international number and only communicated via WhatsApp calls and messages.
After several days of regular conversation, the two agreed to meet in India. However, the accused claimed he needed special clearance from a law firm that managed documentation for his employer in order to leave Gaza. He asked the woman to email the firm to request his release for personal travel.
Also Read: Hyderabad Doctor Duped of Rs 11 Lakh in Matrimonial Scam
On July 16, she sent an email to the law firm's mailing ID given to her by Mohit. She received a reply about nine days later, where the law firm said that Mohit would have to travel to India via the Philippines and the cost would come up to $3700, reports TOI.
Initially, her attempts to transfer funds to the foreign bank account failed. The “law firm” then provided her with an Indian bank account. Trusting the accused, the complainant transferred the amount.
The accused next claimed he had reached Singapore from the Philippines but now needed a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance certificate to enter India. The complainant, still trusting him, transferred additional funds for the certificate.
The demands didn’t stop. Soon, the law firm requested additional funds for a tax clearance certificate. By this point, the complainant had paid a total of Rs 6 lakh.
Also Read: Hyderabad: Man poses as doctor on matrimonial website dupes woman of Rs 6 lakh
