Fraud creates DCP’s fake social media account, dupes his friends

Police have booked an unidentified person for creating a fake social media account in the name of a deputy commissioner of police and cheating four people. The victims were promised cheap furniture by the impersonator. The police have registered a case and frozen the bank accounts where the money was transferred. Efforts are underway to trace the accused.

Police have booked an unidentified person who allegedly created a fake social media account in the name of Raju Bhujbal, deputy commissioner of police, traffic, and cheated at least four of his friends on the promise of selling them old furniture at throwaway prices.

Fraud creates DCP’s fake social media account, dupes his friends

“The cyber fraud added several of Bhujbal’s relatives and friends to the fake profile. Later, he sent them messages claiming that his friends in services like Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Indian Army were recently transferred from Maharashtra to other states. They wanted to sell out their furniture at very cheap rates as it was very expensive to relocate them,” an officer from Worli police station said.

The officer said the accused posed at times as an army or CRPF officer to contact the victims and gave reference of the DCP. He then sent them pictures of the furniture with a fake story about his abrupt transfer and even sent a photo of a forged identity card to gain their trust, the officer said.

“He would negotiate on the price and take whatever money offered by the victims, promising them that he would send the furniture via a courier service. When the victims didn’t get any household articles, they contacted Bhujbal and narrated the story,” the police officer said.

After receiving several such calls, the DCP blocked the fake account, but the fraud opened a new one and continued to cheat people, another police officer said. Finally, Bhujbal lodged a complaint on Thursday.

“We have registered a case under section 419 (cheating by personation) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code and under section 66D (cheating by personation by using computer resource) of the Information Technology Act against the unknown accused,” the police officer said.

The victims are Vijay Gadge and Sushant Tagadkar from Ahmednagar who lost ₹30,000 and ₹70,000 respectively, Balasaheb Gadekar from Ahmednagar’s Ghargaon who paid ₹30,000 to the fraud, and Pramod Kakade from Chandrapur who was duped of ₹1.25 lakh.

The police said they had frozen all the bank accounts where the money was transferred, and efforts were on to trace the accused.