Woman uses fake digital payment at jewellery store
Times of India | 16 May 2025
Kolkata: A fraud involving an app that can reflect fake NEFT and UPI payments has come to light at a prominent jewellery store on Lee Road in south Kolkata's Bhowanipore. A woman allegedly stole a gold chain worth Rs 55,807 using fake digital payment confirmation.A woman identifying herself as Madhurima Das reportedly deceived store staff with a fraudulent payment confirmation screen on her mobile phone on April 26. "She appeared to be a genuine customer, carefully selecting the 18 Karat gold chain," said Pratik Bahety, partner at the shop. "The entire interaction seemed normal until we realised the payment never arrived in our account," he told cops. According to the police complaint filed by Bahety, the suspect showed what appeared to be a successful NEFT transaction screen before hurriedly leaving the store with the merchandise. "It was a cleverly orchestrated deception. She knew exactly how to manipulate the situation," said an investigating officer. The cyber cell has been roped in by Bhowanipore police to help them in the probe.Store employee Rajesh Kumar, who handled the transaction, said, "She was very convincing and seemed trustworthy. She even shared her contact details and social media handles with us, which is unusual for someone planning a theft." The suspect provided an address at Raja Basanta Roy Road and shared her WhatsApp number and Instagram handle. However, subsequent attempts to contact her have been unsuccessful."This incident has forced us to revamp our payment verification protocols," said Manoj Kumar Bahety, senior partner. "We now insist on seeing actual payment confirmation from our bank before releasing any merchandise." The Bhowanipore PS has initiated an investigation based on CCTV footage, digital evidence, and transaction records provided by the store.Inspector Ranjit Singh, leading the investigation, said, "We are treating this as a case of planned fraud rather than simple shoplifting. The suspect's digital footprint and the premeditated nature of the crime will aid our investigation." This incident has raised concerns among local jewellery retailers about the increasing sophistication of fraud schemes involving digital payments."We've lost both valuable merchandise and trust in casual digital payment confirmations. This experience has taught us that even seemingly legitimate customers can turn out to be fraudsters," said another jeweller. The police have urged other jewellery stores in the area to be vigilant and verify payments thoroughly before releasing merchandise.Anyone with information about the suspect is encouraged to contact the Bhowanipore PS.The case was registered under relevant sections of the BNS for cheating and criminal breach of trust. Investigations are ongoing.