Staff Reporter
Panaji
In yet another instance of cyber fraud, a woman
from Panaji lost over
Rs 4.35 lakh after she fell in
the trap of “good income” through a ‘work from
home’ job.
Police said the fraudsters contacted the victim through WhatsApp claiming to be from a digital consulting and
engineering firm offering the opportunity of working from home.
Posing as a representative of the company, police said the accused asked her to download a telegram app and join a group, after which she was asked to invest some amount through GPay and NEFT app.
Upon transferring over
Rs 4 lakh, the victim realised that she was taken for a ride, prompting her to approach the police.
Based on a complaint, a first information report (FIR) under Sections 319 (2), 318(4) of the BNS Act, 2023 and Section 66-D of Information Technology (Amendment Act 2008) Act has been registered.
Police said the incident occurred in October last year, however, the FIR was registered earlier this year. PI Vijaykumar Chodankar is investigating the case.
Goa has witnessed a total of 6,052 cases of cyber frauds till February 28, 2025, with an amount of Rs 149.06 crore reported as stolen by the cyber cons, the Parliament was told earlier this week by Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar. While the lien amount involved is Rs 13.75 crore, the minister stated that the amount refunded, however, is only
Rs 9.38 lakh.
The Minister of State for Home Affairs, replying to a related question from Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament from Goa, Sadanand Tanavade, said that till February 28, 2025, a total of 38,22,550 cases of cyber frauds had been reported across the country.