A young man was duped of lakhs after falling for a fake online offer of a high-end iPhone at a throwaway price, police said.
The accused posted an advertisement on an online platform and, after being contacted, spoke convincingly to win the victim's trust.
He claimed the phone could be collected from a reputed mall and even shared the name of a manager to make the deal appear genuine.
The fraudster then collected money in instalments by sending multiple QR codes. To reinforce the ruse, he allegedly called the mall, informing staff that his "friend" would collect the phone and that payment would be settled by him.
At the showroom, the victim was told the phone would be handed over after managerial approval. The fraud came to light only when the manager clarified that no payment was received. Police inspector CT Desai of Danilimda police station said a technical probe is underway to trace the payment channels.