Man Posing As UK-Based Doc Dupes Odisha Woman Of Rs 2.15 Lakh

Rourkela: A beautician from Rajgangpur in Odisha’s Sundargarh district was allegedly duped of Rs 2.15 lakh by a fraudster, posing as UK-based doctor.

According to police sources, Merkha Surin (41) befriended a man, who introduced himself as Dr Alex, on Instagram and they then began to chat on WhatsApp. The man told the woman that he and his daughter would come to meet her at Rourkela. On September 23, Merkha received call from a woman, informing that Alex and his daughter had arrived at Delhi airport but needed Rs 35,500 to book a flight to Jharsuguda.

The man then convinced Merkha to send another Rs 1.8 lakh. She, however, got suspicious when he sought Rs 3.65 lakh more and approached police. The supposed doctor went incommunicado thereafter.

“A case has been registered and investigation is on,” said IIC of Rajgangpur police station Manoranjan Pradhan.

In August, a dermatologist from Ahmedabad had filed a complaint with police after allegedly being deceived by an individual posing as a ‘UK-based doctor,’ who disappeared after defrauding her of Rs 18 lakh. Police investigation later revealed that the supposed heart specialist had duped 22 women of Rs 4.5 crore. The fraudster had established fake profiles on social media platforms and matrimonial websites, targeting vulnerable women.