Shimla: Man Duped of ₹11.35 Lakh After Searching for Steel Online

Shimla, April 28:
Online scams are on the rise, and cybercriminals are now exploiting search engines like Google to trap unsuspecting victims. In the latest case, a man from Jubbal in Rohru subdivision, Shimla, was defrauded of ₹11.35 lakh while trying to purchase construction material online.

According to reports, the victim, Govind Singh—a local businessman—needed a large quantity of steel bars for a private construction project. On April 25, he searched Google for a Tata Steel distributor and came across a contact number. A fraudster posing as Tata Steel’s area manager, Alok Kumar, contacted him soon after.

Gaining Singh’s trust, the scammer convinced him to place an order for 15 tons of steel and asked for an advance payment. Believing he was dealing directly with the company, Singh transferred ₹11,35,650 online. However, when the material failed to arrive at the promised time and the supposed representative became unreachable, he realized he had been scammed.

Singh immediately reported the incident to the Rohru Police Station. Based on his complaint, a case has been registered under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and an investigation is underway. Rohru DSP Pranav Chauhan confirmed the report and said that cybercrime experts are assisting in tracing the culprit.

The DSP urged the public to remain vigilant when making online purchases. He advised confirming details through official company websites or local offices before making any payments and warned against trusting unknown numbers or suspicious links without verification.