Lost Rs 2.69 lakh while returning online product; Case registered in Kannur

TALIPARAMBA: An elderly man lost Rs 2.69 lakh while attempting to return a pair of ill-fitting footwear online! The complainant alleged that his phone was hacked during a video call, leading to the theft of Rs 2,69,500. The victim is K. Padmanabhan (65), a resident of Morazha in Taliparamba.

Padmanabhan had purchased the footwear through Flipkart. As they did not fit, he submitted an online request to return them. On the evening of the 5th of this month, around 5:30 PM, he received a phone call regarding the rescheduling of the pickup for the return. Simultaneously, he received a WhatsApp video call from a different number. The complaint states that his phone was hacked during this interaction, and funds were siphoned off from various accounts. A complaint was filed with the police, and an investigation is ongoing, focusing on the phone numbers used to contact Padmanabhan and the accounts to which the money was transferred.