The Gelegphu Police are investigating a 40-year-old man from Samtse for allegedly duping two businessmen in Gelegphu of Nu 98,000 in January this year. The victims lodged a complaint with the Gelegphu police when they realised that they were conned. The suspect was arrested from Wangdue Phodrang last week with support from police in Wangdue and Punakha.
The suspect allegedly duped the owners of Mongar Enterprise and Oli Enterprise of Nu 58,000 and Nu 40,000 respectively by impersonating a customs official. The suspect allegedly called the victims for monetary help and deceived them into transferring the amount digitally.
“I received a call to send Nu 15,000 stating that he has some monetary problem. I asked him who he was and he claimed to be a customs official. I transferred Nu 15,000 and the next morning around 9.30 he again called asking an additional Nu 35,000 for buying a vehicle. I transferred the money. I called him after three days and he told me he will come. After a week I received a call from him stating that he bought the vehicle and the loan is under process and requested me for Nu 8,000 and said that he would transfer all the money to my account later. Then I transferred Nu 8,000,” said Prem Kumar Gurung, the owner of Mongar Enterprise in Gelegphu.
The businessman thought he was transferring the money to a customs official he only knew distantly. So when the official visited his shop after he transferred the Nu 8,000, he asked the official if the money is credited. He only realised he was duped when the official denied having asked for money at all.
Similarly, Madan Prasad Oli, the owner of Oli Enterprise was also a victim of the scam. He only realised he was cheated when the suspect allegedly tried duping a friend of his with the same old tricks. “After five days one of my friends also received a call claiming to be from a customs office. The caller was asking for monetary help. He asked how could he loan money without knowing the person. Suddenly, it clicked in my mind and we crosschecked the mobile number and it was the same number,” said he said.
The Gelegphu Police upon investigation found the suspect was using a mobile sim registered in the name of an elderly woman from Nahi village of Wangdue Phodrang and the bank account number of a taxi diver. The suspect befriended the taxi driver by commuting in his taxi frequently. He used the taxi driver’s account number for the transaction of money from two businessmen in Gelegphu. He allegedly made the taxi driver transfer the money to a shopkeeper’s account where he purchased some goods from their shop and took the balance in cash.
The suspect is charged with impersonating and deceptive practice.
Karma Wangdi
