Retired DRDO scientist lost Rs 14.5 lakh in lottery scam

Bilaspur based former scientist from DRDO became the victim of telecalling scam and lost Rs 14.5 lakh. The gang was operating from Bihar’s Nawada district was busted and five men were arrested by Chhattisgarh police.
According to the police, the gang used to dupe people by saying that they have won a lottery and to claim the prize they will have to deposit some money. The gang this time targeted retired scientist CL Patel, 80, who was informed that they were calling from a famous automobile company and he has won a luxury car. The gang member said the car was being offered for the purchases he made on Flipkart recently. They asked him to deposit processing fee and registration amount in their bank account. Soon after depositing the money, the conmen stopped taking his call, sensing foul play Patel registered a complaint with the police.
Those arrested have been identified as Gautam Kumar, Sanjay Kumar Mahto, Birju Kumar Ram, Sudhansu Kumar (all from Nawada) and Niraj Kumar (Nalanda). The police seized Rs 5.23 lakh cash besides two laptop computers, 20 ATM cards, bank passbooks, two memory cards, 30 SIM cards and three motorcycles from their possession.
Police are now trying to ascertain how many people have been targeted by the gang as the gang in the month of July has done a transaction of over Rs one crore.
Senior police officers and cybersecurity experts claim lottery scam is quite common people should ensure that no lottery can be won unless a ticket is purchased. It is always better to verify the claim physically which is offered over the phone, experts warn.