Man cheats engineer of Rs 11.50 L during quarantine, sets up shop

Using the Rs 11.5 lakh that he collected from the victim, the fraudster had opened a mobile phone accessories shop in Coimbatore, said officials.

Udhayakumar (59) of Velachery, an engineer in Kuwait, had returned to Chennai in March and was quarantined in a hotel in Alandur upon. There, he met one Radha Vignesh who befriended Udhyakumar claiming to be an assistant director in the film industry.

Radha Vignesh claimed that he knew top filmmakers and convinced Udhayakumar he could introduce his son as hero in movies. “Believing him, Udhayakumar transferred Rs 11.50 lakh to Radha Vignesh’s bank account during the quarantine period,” said an official.

However, soon after the money was transferred, Radha Vignesh did not respond to the phone calls after which Udhayakumar lodged a complaint at Velachery police station. A case was registered and a hunt was launched. During investigation, the police team found that Radha Vignesh was in Coimbatore and secured him from there.

Officials said the accused set up a mobile phone accessories shop in Coimbatore using the money he swindled from Udhayakumar. “Radha Vignesh did not complete school and have not worked in the film industry,” said an official. They seized Rs 3 lakh from Radha Vignesh, who was remanded in judicial custody.