 "online scam, online fraud")
A chartered accountant found himself in more trouble when he decided to sell his kidney to clear his debts. He lost 6.2 lakh to scammers when he reached out to them to sell them his kidney and get a quick buck.
He smelt a rat when he was asked to further Rs 7.6 lakh in the name of anti-drug and terrorist clearance form. That was the point when he refused to pay and lodged a complaint to Central CEN Crime police.
The 46-year-old Raghuvaran (name changed), who lives near Mathikere, lodged a complaint to Central CEN Crime Police on February 28, 2024.
He was searching for people looking for kidney donors on the internet. He found a website, https://kidneysuperspecialist.org, where he found a contact number, 9631688773. He called that number and the receiver asked him to text on WhatsApp. He was then asked to share basic details such as name, address, blood group, etc.
Raghuvaran shared the incident with The Times of India, and revealed that when he told them his blood group is AB-negative, the scammer offered him Rs 2 crore for a kidney, with half of it as advance.
He was asked to send his ID proof such as Aadhaar and PAN Cards with a photograph to a mail ID - 'doctordineshkullar@gmail.com'.
Raghuvaran told TOI that he was initially asked to pay Rs 8000 for NOC and registration fee, then Rs 20,000 to buy a code. He was then asked to Rs 85,000 to operate the code.
He was further asked to pay Rs 5 lakh for tax clearance to transfer the funds to his account, and Raghuvaran followed all the instructions and made the payment on March 2.
He found something suspicious when he got a call from an unknown number, who claimed to be a State Bank of India, Delhi. That person asked him to pay Rs 7.6 lakh to get an anti-drug and terrorist clearance form.
But this time, Raghuvaran didn't make the payment and they sent a form to him by email. "I called my boss and a few friends. My boss informed me it was a scam and suggested that I immediately lodge a police complaint," Raghuvaran added.
A man who claimed to be a doctor also called Raghuvaran and explained the details of being a kidney donor. He also mentioned to TOI that he wants to pay his car's EMI, close his credit cards, and solve other financial issues.
Raghuvaran also claimed that he was unaware that selling a kidney to strangers for money was illegal.
A case was registered under the Information Technology Act and IPC Section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property). A senior police officer said measures are being taken to freeze fraudsters' accounts. The cop also explained, "We suspect the fraudsters have cheated many others similarly."
