Hyderabad: Businessman falls victim to fake IPS officer Stephen Ravinder’s FB profile; loses Rs 47K

Hyderabad: A local businessman has become the latest victim of cyber fraud.

Police said B. Venugopal Reddy, 44, of SR Nagar, got in touch with fake IPS officer Stephen Ravinder on Facebook, mistakenly believing him to be the real one.

According to the Sanjeeva Reddy Nagar police, the conversation took a turn when Reddy was informed that Santosh Kumar, an Assistant Commandant with the CRPF, recently transferred to Jammu & Kashmir from Hyderabad, was selling furniture.

Seemingly considering it as a legitimate transaction, Reddy contacted Kumar via WhatsApp at the given number. Following initial conversations, Kumar sent photos of the furniture and requested a total sum of Rs. 47,000. Trusting the transaction, Venugopal Reddy transferred the requested amount.

However, the situation took a sinister turn when Kumar persistently demanded additional funds. Suspicion arose, prompting Reddy to realize that he had fallen prey to an elaborate cyber fraud.

Without delay, Reddy reported the incident through the cyber portal, leading to the registration of a case at the SR Nagar police station. The case has been filed under section 419, 420 of the IPC, and 66(C) and 66(D) of the IT Act. The police are investigating the matter to trace the perpetrators behind this online scam.