Lucknow, Dec 6 (IANS): An elderly woman and her friend in Lucknow were duped of ornaments worth Rs 1 lakh and cash by a conman who posed as a bank official.

In her complaint, Kripal Kaur said that she and her friend Neelam had gone to Alambagh market where a man wearing a facemask approached them.

Kaur said that the man introduced himself as her distant relative, Pankaj.

However, Kaur asked him to take off the facemask as she was not able to identify him.

She told the man that the 'Pankaj' she knew was of fair complexion to which he replied that he had been staying in Mumbai and his skin got tanned over the years.

Posing as a bank employee, he told Kaur that the government had decided to give Rs 6 lakhs as monetary help to elderly people.

He said he had given the cheque for Rs 6 lakhs to her son and came to meet her in the market after being informed that she was out for shopping.

"He told me that I will get money from LIC office where my elder son is waiting for me. When I asked him why he was taking so much pain for me, he replied that he was returning the favour as my family had helped him secure a job in bank," she said.

"As we were wearing gold ornaments, he told us that we will not get allowance if we look rich. He asked us to put the valuables in a bag and give it to him. However, I handed over the bag to my friend."

The conman tricked her friend Neelam and escaped with the bag.

Kaur's son Harkeerat said he came to know about the incident and lodged a complaint at the police station.

"My mother is old and unwell. When she and her friend reached the LIC office, they were informed that the office was shifted from there a few years ago," he said.

Station House Officer, Alambagh, Shiv Shankar said efforts were on to track the accused.