Cyber fraud case: 20-year-old man remanded to judicial custody
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 25 2024:
The Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate on Monday remanded a 20 year old man to judicial custody in a cyber fraud case.
Accused Md Shoaid Ali, s/o Late Md Riyakat Ali of Khabesoi Mayai Leikai was produced before the Court on completion of his police custody period with a prayer to send him to judicial custody by a team of Cyber Crime Police Station Manipur.
The APP of the State submitted that the case was on after one Moirangthem Jiten lodged a complaint to the police station on June 21 last.
As per the APP, an unknown person (later identified as Md Shoaid Ali) came to his jewellery shop at Lamphel Sanakeithel on June 21 at around 11 am on the pretext to buy some gold for making ornament for his wife.
Saying that he (the accused) asked the Gpay number of the shopkeeper to make the payment through one of his friends, the APP continued that the complainant accordingly shared his Gpay account for the transaction.
The APP further said that the complainant got a text message which read that Rs 45,600 has been credited to his account, following which the accused took the gold and disappeared.
On further checking it was found that the message was fake and the money was never credited to his account, the APP continued.
During the course of investigation, the unknown person was identified as Md Shoaid Ali who is a habitual offender and has been committing the same modus operandi to other people.
Md Shoaid Ali was arrested on the same day (June 21) from Khumidok Mayai Leikai at around 4 pm.
Whilst in police custody, the accused reportedly disclosed that he borrowed one Mahindra Thar from one of his friends on the day he cheated the complainant.
As per police, the accused then picked up his mother from along the way and parked the vehicle near the jewellery shop where there were no CCTv cameras.
Saying that the accused then went inside the shop on the pretext of buying gold with a pre-drafted message to cheat the shopkeeper, the police added that the accused edited the pre-drafted message and sent it to the complainant mobile number after agreeing to make the transaction through Gpay.
The accused then took the gold after sending the message and left the place hurriedly, it said and added that the accused sold the gold to a jewellery shop at Khurai for
Rs 40,000 .
It is also disclosed that the accused used a third party mobile application called "Prank Payment" to cheat the 'victim' .
The Court on perusal of the case record and after hearing the submission of the APP remanded Md Shoaid Ali to judicial custody till July 6 .