A fraudster like none other
From a dingy room in Mau, UP, with a phone, a few SIM cards, and a stable internet connection, Shyam Sundar Chauhan allegedly called 904 people who were looking for their missing family members of which he duped at least 50 to the tune of 10 lakh by posing as a cop.
He sympathised with Markandey, asked for his daughter’s photo and name, and resuscitated a father’s dying hope.
What followed were two calls in a span of a few hours: “We are still looking for her, hold tight,” followed by “your daughter has exited Chandigarh in a car, we are following her – but we need money for petrol, you know how the Delhi Police is, send ₹8,000.”
Desperate as any parent would be to reunite with their missing child, Markandey pushed his doubts aside, and sent the caller ₹8,000 via a UPI transaction.
He nervously waited for a call, an update, his daughter’s voice from the other end of the phone. “We are still following her,” the man who had taken Markandey’s ₹8,000 told him twice.
By evening, Markandey’s calls went unanswered, and with that his hopes were crushed.
In another corner of Delhi, the same month, and under similar circumstances, a missing minor girl’s parents paid ₹10,000 to the caller; and the father of a 30-year-old man sent ₹40,000 to the caller who said the police team was headed to Manali in Himachal Pradesh to bring him back.
The caller was not a police officer. The caller was never in Chandigarh, chasing Markandey’s missing daughter’s car; and was he never in Manali looking for anyone’s son.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Palestinian PM Resigns Citing 'New Reality' Of War In Gaza
The United States and other powers have called for a reformed Palestinian Authority to take charge of all Palestinian territories after the end of war
Future Perfect: The Kids Are All Right
Gill and Jurel hold out promise by simplifying a challenging chase to help India seal series
Akshay feels 'blessed' to have worked with OG Ramayan cast
Director Akshay K Agarwal shot a music video, Humare Ram Aaye Hai, with the cast of the 1987 TV show, Ramayanactors Arun Govil, Dipika Chikhlia and Sunil Lahri - in Ayodhya recently.
Musk's firm gets nod for Sat Net; joins Jio, Bharti
Starlink, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has been allowed to offer satellite broadband services in India, two officials aware of the development said.
A temple, 169 years in the making
Through decades of design and reworks, hurdles in engineering and construction, HT pieces together how the grandeur of the Ram Temple was reclaimed
'Political interference' forces Vihari to quit Andhra cricket
After Andhra bowed out of the Ranji Trophy at the quarter-final stage with a four-run defeat to Madhya Pradesh in Indore on Monday, senior batter Hanuma Vihari launched a scathing attack on the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA), saying he will never turn up for the state again.
Shafali, Kapp lead Capitals to a 9-wicket win over Warriorz
A blazing fifty by Shafali Verma (64₹, 43 balls) helped Delhi Capitals make a mockery of a target of 120 and open their account in the second edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL).
Making 'unbelievable things believable', the Ayhika way
The India No. 7 was an inspired pick for the world team event and she repaid the faith, beating the Chinese world No.1
'Connected TVs to reach 45 mn by 2024-end in India'
With improvement in broadband penetration, Indian households are increasingly opting for connected or addressable TVs.
India chip strategy makes progress as $21 billion in proposals received
The Indian government, after years of watching from the sidelines of the chips race, now has to evaluate $21 billion of semiconductor proposals and divvy up taxpayer support between foreign chipmakers, local champions or some combination of the two.
