MUMBAI: Bollywood and television actor Rakesh Bedi (69) was the latest to get duped of Rs85,000 by a person who allegedly claimed to be army personnel and showed interest in buying his Pune flat worth Rs87 lakhs. Oshiwara police registered the case on December 30 after Bedi realized that he was duped when the person stopped responding to his calls when he asked for a refund that he was made to transfer.The actor believed the person after he shared his identity card and other documents that showed him in an Indian Army uniform.
Bedi believed the person who identified himself as Aditya Kumar and claimed that he was from the Indian Army and had come across his contact details through a housing portal in which he had advertised for selling his Pune flat. He received the call on December 25 and the person asked him to share more photographs of the flat as he is interested in buying. “I believed the person because I had earlier sold one of my properties to defense personnel and it was genuine. This made me believe the caller,” Bedi told TOI.
The same caller again called Bedi the next day and this time he said that his senior officer was going to buy the flat. The scamster said that his senior liked the flat and that he had an Army Account through which he could do the money transactions. “The actor was provided with an account number and was asked to do an Rs1 transaction through G Pay. After the successful transaction, Bedi was again asked to transfer Rs50,000 which he did. Later, the scamster told the actor that he had transferred Rs50000. When Bedi informed that he did not receive it, the scamster claimed that as it is an Indian Army Account and there should be a similar account balance in both parties’ accounts,” said a police officer of the Oshiwara police station.
Bedi was then asked to transfer Rs50,000 which he did through his wife’s account. “The actor made two more transactions–Rs25000 and Rs10000–before he realised that he was taken for a ride when the scamster stopped responding when he asked to refund the money. The cyber wing of the police station is working on the case and has sought details from the bank to track the account holder to which the money has been credited” said the police officer.
Bedi believed the person who identified himself as Aditya Kumar and claimed that he was from the Indian Army and had come across his contact details through a housing portal in which he had advertised for selling his Pune flat. He received the call on December 25 and the person asked him to share more photographs of the flat as he is interested in buying. “I believed the person because I had earlier sold one of my properties to defense personnel and it was genuine. This made me believe the caller,” Bedi told TOI.
The same caller again called Bedi the next day and this time he said that his senior officer was going to buy the flat. The scamster said that his senior liked the flat and that he had an Army Account through which he could do the money transactions. “The actor was provided with an account number and was asked to do an Rs1 transaction through G Pay. After the successful transaction, Bedi was again asked to transfer Rs50,000 which he did. Later, the scamster told the actor that he had transferred Rs50000. When Bedi informed that he did not receive it, the scamster claimed that as it is an Indian Army Account and there should be a similar account balance in both parties’ accounts,” said a police officer of the Oshiwara police station.
Bedi was then asked to transfer Rs50,000 which he did through his wife’s account. “The actor made two more transactions–Rs25000 and Rs10000–before he realised that he was taken for a ride when the scamster stopped responding when he asked to refund the money. The cyber wing of the police station is working on the case and has sought details from the bank to track the account holder to which the money has been credited” said the police officer.
