Bech De fraud: Accused drives away with techie's Rs 3 lakh in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: Driving a used high-end Honda City car has now become a distant dream for a 35-year-old software professional after he was duped of Rs 3 lakh by a Kerala-based man, who had promised to sell him the vehicle.  

Vikram Agrawal, a resident of Marathalli, became the latest victim of online fraud after the accused conned him on July 1. When a desperate Vikram went to the office of the accused, he was told that the Kerala man had been skipping work from the day Vikram gave him the money.

It all started on on June 22, when Vikam was looking for a good used car deal on online website – Olx. He stumbled upon the Honday City car. Vikram told Deccan Chronicle, “The post was put up by Bobby Philip. I spoke to him and he quoted '9 lakh for the 2016 model car. After negotiations, the deal was closed at '8.5 lakh.”

Vikram said, “Bobby asked me to visit him near his office in R.T. Nagar where I checked the car. It had a small dent, but otherwise it looked fine. When I enquired further, I learnt that the car was under loan, and as per the deal, I transferred '15,000 online as first instalment. Soon after, I got a strange call from Bobby, saying that his ailing mother had passed away and he needed a big amount immediately. I told him that I could pay ' 3 lakh and transferred it on July 1.”

Vikram was scheduled to meet Bobby on July 4 and started calling him. When Bobby did not respond, Vikram started doing the background check and found that the Kerala man, who was working as a consultant with a builder in R.T. Nagar, had not reported to work since July 2. The company owner, Deepak, had no idea about his whereabouts. When Vikram traced the house, the landlord told him that Bobby had vacated the house more than a week earlier.

He approached the HAL police station on July 7 and registered a complaint. “The team has gathered credible information on his whereabouts and he will be arrested soon,” said a police officer.