Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Jul 4: In a complaint filed with Suratkal police station, a local person named Francis D’Souza has said that his nephew, Hubert Melric D’Souza, had lost Rs 16.42 lac in an email fraud.
It is learnt that close relatives of Hubert had deposited Rs 12 lac with Canara Bank Suratkal branch for helping Hubert to complete his education, as he has lost both his parents. On the basis of an email message received over mobile on June 11, Hubert was informed that he had won $4.5 lac in ICC World Cup Fortune Programme. After exchanging email messages as stipulated in the message, Hubert remitted various amounts to Goodluck Enterprises, Haryana, R K Lal, Akhilesh Kumar H Preet Sangh and M/s Preet Enterprises.
Finally, Hubert was told that a sum of Rs 4.5 crore would be sent to him within a day if he remits Rs 1.5 lac as final payment. As Hubert had spent all the money he already had, he asked for financial help from relatives. The family members then checked his account and found to their horror that he had lost all the money, it is said. Hubert is pursuing hotel management course.
Suratkal police sub-inspector, Ramesh Hanapur, visited Yamunanagar in Haryana to check the facts. It was found that the address given to the bank by the perpetrator of the fraud was fake, and the company to which amounts were remitted also remains just on paper. A rented office in the name of the company was taken just for the sake of address. But the parents of the accused were found, and the bank has been requested to freeze their account having a balance of Rs 5.5 lac, it is learnt.
Station house officer of Suratkal police station, K U Belliappa, has registered a case. Investigation is in progress.