Udupi: A 57-year-old man from Shirva village in Kaup taluk, currently residing in Kuwait, was allegedly cheated of Rs 21.7 lakh in an online loan scam carried out through the Telegram app.According to the complainant, he came across a loan advertisement on Telegram and was subsequently added to a group by a person who identified himself as Rajesh Changa. When the complainant stated that he required a loan of Rs 75 lakh, the accused offered to arrange it at an interest rate of 0.5%.The accused then claimed that an initial payment of Rs 5 lakh was required towards tax. Trusting the messages, the complainant allegedly transferred a total of Rs 21,66,769 from various bank accounts in India between Dec 23 and Dec 31, 2025, as instructed.Despite making the payments, the complainant neither received the loan amount nor any refund. He later realised that he had been cheated.A case has been registered at the CEN Crime police station under sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act and Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
