Irula tribals duped of Rs 1 lakh in PM’s name

The incident happened on Saturday and the first person to fall victim was a woman, Rani of Senneri village next to Tiruporur, who also heads a self-help group. The caller, claiming to be a State Bank of India official, allegedly told her that the PM has announced Rs 5,000 to families of the tribal community as part of COVID-19 relief measures. Tempted by the offer, she gave the caller her debit card details with which he transferred her savings to his Ola Money account.

By the time Rani realised that she is being cheated as she received a message asking for OTP on her phone, accounts of 50 of her fellow community members, who had shared their details through Rani’s phone, too were emptied. They then approached Village Administrative Officer Selvam and lodged a complaint at Chengalpattu Taluk police station.

According to the VAO, someone who knows about the community must be behind the act. The officer said some of the victims had just Rs 100 in their account, which was swindled, while a woman who had recently given birth to a baby lost the entire Rs 20,000 she received as part of a government scheme.

Chengalpattu Taluk police said an FIR will be registered and further investigation is on.