In a cruelly sophisticated online fraud case, a woman from Bantwal was tricked into transferring ₹2.35 lakh after being lured with promises of a luxury parcel and a ₹10 lakh loan. The police have launched an investigation into the growing trend of courier-linked loan fraud.
Fake Courier, Real Loss: The DHL-Labelled Trap
What began as a phone call from someone claiming to be from “DHL Express Courier Services, New Delhi” turned into a nightmare for Bharati K. She was informed on December 3, 2024, that a gift parcel containing gold, an iPhone, and ₹49 lakh in cash had arrived in her name, but it could only be released upon payment of a clearance fee.
Bharati, skeptical but tempted, expressed financial constraints. The scammer quickly offered a convenient solution, a loan of up to ₹10 lakh from Bajaj Finance, available instantly after a few “processing” steps.
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Advance Payments Disguised as Loan Approvals
Convinced by the false promises, Bharati began transferring money through UPI. The first payment was ₹80,000, followed by ₹35,000 and ₹65,000 on June 6 and June 12, respectively. The final payment of ₹50,000 was made on June 16. Altogether, ₹2.35 lakh vanished into the scammer’s hands.
There was no parcel. No loan. Just silence.
Fraud Alert and Investigation Underway
It was only after repeated delays and no parcel delivery that Bharati realized she had been duped. She lodged a complaint with the Bantwal Town Police, who have registered a case and launched an investigation into the well-orchestrated online fraud.
Cybercrime experts believe this scam reflects a rising trend of hybrid frauds, mixing well-known brands like DHL and Bajaj Finance with emotional manipulation and fake financial incentives to target common people. Police are tracking the digital payment trails and mobile call records to unmask the criminals.