A 55-year-old man from Delhi lost nearly Rs 3 lakh to a fraudulent online parcel scam that began with a seemingly innocent Facebook friendship. The scam, which involved promises of receiving a gift parcel containing gold jewellery, electronics, and cash, resulted in a significant financial loss for the victim.
In September 2021, the man began chatting online with a woman claiming to be an American national. Their online conversations soon shifted to WhatsApp, where the woman allegedly offered to send him a gift package. The supposed gift, which included valuable items, was said to be sent in appreciation of their friendship.
In October 2021, the man received a call from an individual posing as a delivery agent. The caller informed him that a parcel in his name was awaiting release and requested a payment to clear customs. Trusting the authenticity of the call, the victim transferred Rs 2.66 lakh in multiple installments to a bank account provided by the caller.
However, when the delivery agent stopped responding to his calls, the victim began to suspect he had been deceived. Realizing that he had been scammed, he lodged a formal complaint with the police on February 8, 2022. A case was registered under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (cheating).
The Southeast District Police, using advanced technical surveillance, traced the source of the calls to Kalyan Roy, a 26-year-old college student from Thakurmura village near Sonamura in Tripura, located close to the Bangladesh border. A special police team carried out a three-day operation in the remote area, ultimately arresting Roy on November 24, 2023.
During interrogation, Roy confessed to orchestrating the scam with associates he had met near his college. The group fabricated stories about gift parcels to dupe people into transferring money for “customs clearance.” Police recovered Rs 2.4 lakh of the stolen funds from Roy’s possession.
Roy, who had no prior criminal record, was pursuing his graduation at the time of his arrest. Authorities suspect that he was lured into the scam by acquaintances who promised him quick and substantial financial gains.
