Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi

Udupi, Mar 17: In a distressing incident reported from Udupi, Pradeepa, a 33-year-old resident of Kundapura's Devalkunda village, found himself at the receiving end of a Rs 76,195 fraud through Google Pay.

The unfortunate incident unfolded when Pradeepa transferred the mentioned sum to an individual named Akbar Ali via Google Pay, only to fall victim to fraudulent activities.

Compounding his troubles, Pradeepa's attempts to seek assistance from his bank were not possible because of  the unavailability of services due to a bank holiday.

In a bid to resolve the matter, Pradeepa resorted to searching for the Google Pay customer care number online, only to inadvertently connect with an unknown individual who promised to facilitate a refund within 24 hours.

However, matters took a turn for the worse when on March 10, 2024, at 3 pm, Pradeepa received a call from an unidentified individual to assist with the refund process.

Through this process, the caller instructed Pradeepa to input the first five digits of the complainant's mobile number into the amount column on Google Pay. As a result, funds were debited from Pradeepa's account, and his mobile device became temporarily inoperable for 30 minutes.

In a desperate attempt to rectify the situation, Pradeepa resorted to reaching out to the unknown individual using his friend's mobile number, only to encounter repeated unanswered calls.

Following this distressing turn of events, a case has been registered with the Kundapura Rural Police Station under Crime No. 24/2024, invoking Section 66 (D) of the IT Act.