Youngsters con delivery boy by swapping phone with soap

CHENNAI: Five youngsters, one of whom was a woman, scammed a large online retailer and its delivery person by stealing a brand-new cell phone from the package box and replacing it with soap.

A Hadapsar resident named Mehandi Alure (32) filed an FIR at the Lashkar police station in this regard.

According to the police, Alure is a delivery man who has been delivering packages for well-known e-commerce businesses.

On June 25, the accused made a call to Alure in the Pune Camp area to arrange for the delivery of the new phone they had ordered online. But they allegedly got into an argument with Alure, alleging the cell phone had a technical issue.

The accused youngsters allegedly performed a joke on Alure during this time by keeping soap in the cell phone box. The stolen cell phone was worth Rs 43,019.

After some while, Alure discovered that the box had been replaced with soap instead of the phone. Because they are accused of defrauding the complainant, Alure, and the business, the police have charged the accused individuals under sections 420 and 34 of the IPC. Harish Shilimkar, an assistant police inspector, is looking into the matter.