Hyderabad Man Loses Rs.5.4 Lakh in Online Franchise Fraud

The 46-year-old person Chudi Bazar lost Rs.5.4 lakh in online franchise fraud. He was searching online for distributorship opportunities with a popular paints company when he came across the website and filled out an enquiry form. 

He was later contacted by a person identifying himself as Ayush, a “Team Leader” of the company, who, along with another man named Deevakar Singh posing as “Relationship Manager,” sent forged documents, franchise details, and a registration form via WhatsApp.

Believing the offer to be genuine, the



victim paid various amounts over multiple transactions — Rs.49,500 as registration charges, Rs.2.50 lakh for product dispatch, Rs.90,000 for GST, Rs.1.51 lakh as an additional payment, and finally Rs.1.68 lakh for software installation amounting to a total of Rs.5.41 lakh. 

Even though they kept promising to refund the money or send the goods, they never gave anything and the victim eventually realized that he had been defrauded through a fake website and impersonators.

Cyber crime police registered a case and investigation is under way.