A man in Udupi was allegedly cheated of Rs 1.2 lakh after falling victim to an online franchise scam advertised on Instagram.
The complainant said he came across an Instagram advertisement offering a franchise of a Gurugram-based company. Interested, he filled out the form and submitted it. The company later emailed him an application form, which he completed and returned.
Subsequently, two individuals identifying themselves as Sanjay Mishra and Suresh Tripathi contacted him over the phone. They asked him to pay agreement and licence fees. Between March 4 and 5 last year, the complainant transferred Rs 25,000 first, followed by Rs 97,300, totaling Rs 1.2 lakh.
Despite the payments, the accused continued to demand more money. Suspecting foul play, the complainant realized he was being defrauded and filed a complaint with Udupi Town Police Station.
A case has been registered under Section 318(4) of the BNS (cheating) and Section 66(D) of the IT Act, and the investigation is ongoing.
