Mangaluru: A 54-year-old woman was allegedly cheated of Rs 29 lakh by cyber fraudsters who befriended her on Facebook, promised to send gold and foreign currency from the Netherlands, and later collected money from her on the pretext of customs duty and other charges.According to the complaint, the woman, came into contact with a man identifying himself as Dr Clinton Smith through Facebook in May 2025. The man later obtained her WhatsApp number and began communicating with her through WhatsApp. He claimed to be a cardiologist working in the Netherlands. After frequent exchanges of messages, the accused allegedly gained the complainant’s confidence and informed her that he was sending a parcel containing foreign gold and US dollars. He obtained her residential address in Mumbai for the delivery.Subsequently, the complainant was informed that the parcel had arrived at the Delhi International Airport but had been detained by customs authorities. Soon afterwards, unknown persons claiming to be customs officials contacted her, stating that customs duty had to be paid to release the parcel. They also provided the mobile number of a person identified as Tushar, purportedly a customs officer.When the complainant contacted Tushar, he allegedly told her that, apart from customs duty, she would also have to pay storage charges of Rs 5,000 per day to secure the release of the parcel.Believing the claims to be genuine, the complainant transferred money in stages from her bank account to various bank accounts specified by the accused persons. In total, she allegedly paid Rs 29 lakh.The fraudsters later informed her that the parcel would be sent to the Mangaluru International Airport. The complainant went to the airport and waited for the delivery, but no parcel arrived. Despite making repeated calls and sending messages, she received no response.The following day, Dr Clinton Smith allegedly informed her that the parcel had been returned from Mumbai to Delhi. The complainant has alleged that she was cheated of Rs 29 lakh through an online fraud carried out in stages between June 6, 2025, and May 8, this year. A case has been registered at the CEN crime police station.
