How a man lost Rs 3.96 lakh buying desert rose seeds online

A 79-year-old resident of Kondhwa, Pune, fell victim to cyber fraud after purchasing desert rose seeds online. The victim lodged a First Information Report (FIR) at the Kondhwa police station. According to the report, the victim had four bank accounts in two banks. On July 25, 2026, he received a parcel of desert rose seeds, but upon opening it, found only six seeds, the rest being just mud.

The victim then contacted a phone number on the parcel, which was unresponsive. Later, he received a call from another number, identifying himself as Imran Khan, offering to assist in filing a complaint about the parcel. The fraudster demanded a fee of Rs 5, which the victim transferred via Google Pay, but the transaction was later canceled.

The fraudster then called the victim again, but the call was again missed. On July 29, the victim received a call from a bank about suspicious transactions from his accounts. The victim asked the bank to block his account, but the next day, transactions totaling Rs 3,96,499 were made from his accounts without his knowledge or consent.

These transfers occurred in 17 online transactions to various fraudulent bank accounts. The victim subsequently filed a complaint with the Cyber police station. After investigating the complaint, an FIR was registered against unidentified cyber fraudsters under sections 318(4), 319(2), and 66(d) of the Information Technology Act.

Police are currently investigating the mobile numbers and bank accounts used by the fraudsters. Senior police inspector Santosh Khetmalis is leading the investigation.