Hyderabad: Hoping to secure a 300 crore loan to develop gated community projects, the director of a construction company had assumed that he was holding talks with the chairman and managing director of a prominent bank. However, he knew little that this deal, which he was trying to clinch, was going to cost him 19 crore. Though nine persons have been made accused in the case, the Hyderabad police have not made any arrests so far.
Through an acquaintance, the director came in contact with one Rohit, who claimed to have personal contact with the CMD of a bank. After Rohit said that he knew several influential persons, the director, over a period of time, became convinced and sought his help to obtain a 300 crore loan.
After several days of dilly-dallying, Rohit shared a contact number with the complainant, claiming that it belonged to the bank’s CMD, who was his friend. Meanwhile, on the same day, the complainant received a phone call from the self-claimed CMD. Assuring to provide the loan, the banker asked the complainant to follow his instructions, which would be shared regularly on WhatsApp. The banker shared an account number with the complainant, asking him to send money for processing the loan. Trusting him, the complainant sent 23 lakh.
Similarly, Rohit shared another bank account, mentioning that it belonged to a person who dealt with documentation. The complainant transferred 4.50 crore. In between, the accused, to gain the confidence of the complainant, paid 2.80 crore.
Despite sending the money, as there was no progress in the loan disbursement, the complainant started to question Rohit and his friend. Both claimed that sanctioning 300 crore required clearances from different departments, which would take time. Most of the communication between the complainant and the two accused took place only through WhatsApp. The complainant kept on transferring money from various accounts to the specified bank accounts of the accused. After paying 19 crore, the complainant realised that the accused impersonated the CMD of the bank.
Apart from cash, the complainant also gave property documents to the accused, assuming that he was dealing with bankers. The accused continued to demand additional money and threatened to take possession of the land belonging to the complainant.
