The Cyber Crime Police in Hyderabad have arrested a man for tricking an elderly person in an online gold scam. The accused, Jale Chandra Shekhar Reddy from Saroor Nagar in Ranga Reddy District, cheated a 75-year-old man out of Rs 5 lakh.
According to the police, the elderly victim, who lives in Koti, Hyderabad, received a WhatsApp call in December 2024. The caller claimed to be traveling from Mumbai to Hyderabad and offered to sell 10 grams of gold for Rs 50,000, while the actual price was Rs 80,000. The fraudster continuously pressured the victim to buy the gold.
The scammer also told the victim to keep the deal a secret and assured him that he would receive the gold. Believing the fraudster, the victim placed an order for 6 tolas of gold and transferred Rs 5 lakh into different bank accounts provided by the accused.
Later, the fraudster kept delaying the delivery of the gold, using excuses like Christmas and other reasons. He also tried to convince the victim to send more money, promising more gold in return. On January 15, the scammer assured the victim that the gold would be delivered.
However, when the victim tried to contact him, the fraudster stopped responding and began avoiding his calls. Realizing that he had been scammed, the elderly man reported the incident to the police.
The Cyber Crime Police revealed that Chandra Shekhar had a history of addiction, including online betting and excessive alcohol consumption. To fund these habits, he came up with a plan to cheat innocent people.
Now, the police have arrested him and are taking further action.