Inheritance scam: Callers dupe Himachal man of Rs 11L posing as childless Italian couple
The accused, claiming to be a husband and wife living in Italy, initially established a rapport with the victim over the phone before promising to adopt him and bequeath their entire estate to him
An FIR has been lodged in Shimla district against unidentified persons for allegedly duping a man of Rs 11 lakh after luring him with the prospect of inheriting their "vast fortune" abroad, police said on Saturday.
The accused, claiming to be a husband and wife living in Italy, initially established a rapport with the victim over the phone before promising to adopt him and bequeath their entire estate to him.
They later convinced the complainant that they had arrived in India but were detained by the CBI and required money to secure their release, police said.
Falling for the scam, the victim transferred about Rs 11 lakh to the accused in instalments.
When he found that it was a scam, the victim approached the police, who, based on his complaint, registered an FIR at the Nerva police station for criminal conspiracy, cheating, and cheating by impersonation under relevant sections of the BNS.
According to police, the complaint was lodged by Amar Singh, a resident of Nerwa in the Chopal subdivision of Shimla district, who said he received calls from different numbers wherein the callers identified themselves as a married couple living in Italy.
The callers claimed that they had no children and possessed significant assets, which the person who takes care of them would inherit, according to the police.
During the conversations, the callers offered to adopt the complainant and said they were planning to visit India soon. Frequent communications convinced Singh that the claims were true.
Some time later, Singh received a call from the accused, who claimed they had arrived in India but had been detained by the CBI and needed money to secure their release.
Trusting the claims, Singh transferred approximately Rs 11 lakh to the accused in instalments, only to realise later that he had been duped and that the entire incident was part of a well-planned scam.
Police have launched an investigation to identify and arrest the accused and trace the money trail, officials said.
