SRINAGAR, FEB 1 : The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Crime Branch, Jammu and Kashmir, on Sunday filed a chargesheet against two individuals in a high-profile international prize money fraud case before a court here, officials said.
The chargesheet in case FIR No. 24/2017 under Section 420 RPC and Section 66(d) of the IT Act was presented before the City Munsif Court, Srinagar, a spokesperson of the Crime Branch stated in a statement issued to news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS).
The investigation was launched based on a complaint where the victim was duped of lakhs of rupees after being falsely informed that he had won a massive prize of Rs 2.35 crore and a car from ‘M/s Chevrolet Motors Promotion Limited, UK’, the spokesperson said.
The accused, identified as Jitu Raj Johari of Faridabad, Haryana, and Suresh Thakur, originally from Muzaffarabad and presently residing in Delhi, lured the complainant through a phone call and subsequent email communication, the official added.
To claim the purported prize, the complainant was first directed to deposit a sum as ‘customs duty’ into a bank account held by Johari. Later, he was instructed to open an account with the Royal Bank of Scotland and deposit further amounts as ‘Charges of Transfer’ through a non-existent NSG agency, the spokesperson explained.
The main caller, operating under the pseudonym “Frank Ban”, used the email ID ‘frankban@diplomats.com’ to persistently mislead the victim, the chargesheet states.
“A thorough probe established that the accused persons actively conspired and fraudulently deceived the complainant of substantial funds. Based on oral, documentary, and corroborative evidence, their involvement in the offence has been conclusively proven,” the spokesperson said.
The chargesheet has now been submitted to the competent court for judicial proceedings, the official added. (KNS)
