Man orders smartphone for online classes, receives playing cards

Mohamed Ali (50) of Ottiyambakkam near Pallikaranai recently saw an advertisement on Facebook that smartphone worth Rs 12,000 was being sold for just Rs 2,999. Ali wanted to buy it for his daughter, a Class 11 student, to attend her online classes. He did not suspect anything amiss as there was an option for cash-on-delivery, and placed the order on September 2.

On Tuesday, he received an SMS informing him that the phone would be delivered before evening. When the delivery person came to his house by afternoon, Ali told him he would pay the money after checking the package. However, the former insisted on collecting the cash before handing over the package.

After Ali relented and gave Rs 3,000, the man handed over the package and left on his two-wheeler. When he opened the package, Ali was shocked to find only two packs of cards and a digital slate. He immediately went behind the man and managed to catch him with the help of local residents. The man was then taken to the Pallikaranai police station.

During questioning, he told the police that he was only the delivery man, and did not know where the package was from or who the sender was. The police asked Ali to file a complaint and the case was transferred to cybercrime cell for further probe.