Mangaluru: A woman was allegedly cheated of nearly Rs 2.9 lakh after responding to an advertisement she spotted on Instagram, promising solutions to personal problems. The complainant stated that on Feb 3, she came across an advertisement on Instagram claiming to provide solutions for personal issues. When she clicked on the link, which is currently inactive, she was redirected to a WhatsApp page, where she was asked to call a number.Upon calling, the person asked about her problem. The complainant said that her mother was suffering from leg pain and was unwell, and asked if they could help. The person on the other end allegedly assured her that they could ‘fix the problem’ through astrology and asked her to send Rs 301 to a bank account, and she transferred the amount.She was informed that to cure her mother, they would conduct a puja at a Bhagavathi and Mahakali temple in Kerala, and money had to be kept before the deity. She was assured that all the money would be returned after the ritual. Believing this, the complainant transferred approximately Rs 2.9 lakh in multiple transactions to the bank accounts shared by the unknown person.When the money was not returned, the complainant called the mobile number again. The person repeated that the refund would be given after the ritual was completed. When she refused further rituals and demanded her money back, the fraudster insisted that the ritual was mandatory and demanded another Rs 35,000. The complainant said she had no more money. The accused reportedly promised to return all the money, but did not repay anything till date.Based on the complaint, a case was registered at the DK CEN crime police station under section 66 (D) of the IT Act and section 318 (4) of the BNS Act.
