How An Accidental Call Busted Man Who Posed As US Embassy Official For 15 Yrs And Promised Visa
A fraudster posing as an embassy official in Washington DC was exposed after accidentally video-calling a woman while in an auto rickshaw in Mumbai.
A fraudster, posing to be an embassy official in Washington DC, got exposed after he accidentally video called a 52-year-old woman doctor while travelling in an auto rickshaw in Mumbai.
The doctor, who accepted the call from the scamaster's number on February 15, was shocked to see that the man, who had claimed that he was in the US, was sitting in an auto rickshaw in Mumbai, Times of India reported.
As per the details shared by the police, the woman met the accused, Shailesh Parekh via a matrimonial platform in 2010. A senior cop said that the doctor and Shailesh started exchanging 'good morning and good night messages on a regular basis, after meeting on the matrimonial site. "As they kept talking, the accused claimed that he was a resident of Mumbai and owned a flat in Juhu but was living in Washington DC where he worked", the officer added.
Later, Shailesh gained the complainant’s trust, assuring her that he could use his influence to help her obtain a US visa. With the help of an accomplice, he allegedly duped her of Rs 2 lakh.
The official said, “The doctor had applied for a US visa in November 2024 to attend the convocation ceremony of her nephew, who was pursuing an MBBS degree. However, she was facing difficulties with the visa process and was unsure about how to proceed. At that moment, she remembered Shailesh and reached out to him for help", Mid-day reported.
“Shailesh told the doctor that he would help her and shared the mobile number of a woman named Beena Parekh, who, he claimed, would help her obtain a visa,” said an officer. It is believed that Beena is Shailesh's wife.
As per the details, the woman paid the accused over Rs 2 Lakh between December 2024 and February this year for the visa. She also told the doctor that since the government had changed in the US and Donald Trump had become president again, visa processing fees had increased.
When the doctor realised that she has been duped, she lodged a complaint at the Juhu police station. “Based on the complaint, we have registered a case against Shailesh and Beena Parekh under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The investigation is underway,” said another officer.
Last month, a 58-year-old medical professor at a Navi Mumbai college was duped of Rs 1.8 crore by cyber fraudsters posing as Income Tax officials, who approached her claiming she owed Rs 8 lakh in taxes. She was threatened with arrest by the scammers and asked to pay Rs 1.8 crore, which they promised to return once the "investigation" concludes.
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