B'luru pvt firm employee loses phone, Rs 1.8 lakh to strangers he met at coffee shop

HAL police have registered a case under IPC Sections 418 and 379

Fraudsters who met a 25-year-old man at a coffee shop borrowed his mobile phone to ostensibly call someone, fled with the device and withdrew Rs 1.8 lakh from the victim's account using it.

Private firm employee Jagannatha Prasad Nayak, a resident of Teachers Colony in Koramangala, who lost his phone and money, said in his police complaint that he had been to the Cafe Coffee Day outlet in Karthik Nagar around 11.30 am on September 28 to have coffee and was waiting for a friend.

Two strangers who entered the cafe struck a conversation with Nayak, had coffee with him and gained his confidence. One of them even paid the bill for the coffee in cash. The three men then walked out of the cafe.

While one of them walked up to a scooter parked before the outlet, the other borrowed Nayak’s phone claiming he wanted to make a call. As Nayak handed over his phone, the stranger walked up to his friend on the scooter appearing to be talking on the phone.

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Nayak walked behind asking for his phone, but the stranger sat on the scooter’s pillion and the duo sped away. Later, Nayak checked his bank balance at an ATM only to realise that he was left with just Rs 300. The strangers withdrew Rs 1.87 lakh from the account.

Nayak filed the complaint only the next day claiming he was unsure which jurisdictional police station to approach.

HAL police have registered a case under IPC Sections 418 (cheating with the knowledge that a wrongful loss may ensue to person whose interest offender is bound to protect, cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and 379 (theft). They are making efforts to snag the suspects. Police are verifying CCTV footage around the cafe to identify the criminals.

When DH contacted him, Nayak refused to comment on the theft.