Chennai police arrests man who set up 'FedEx scam' and cheated 52-year-old of Rs 1.4 lakh

CHENNAI: The city police on Saturday arrested a 31-year-old man for orchestrating the 'FedEx scam' and cheating a city resident of Rs 1.4 lakh by posing as Mumbai Police.

T Sriram (52) of Vadapalani received a phone call on May 24 claiming a FedEx parcel he sent to Taiwan contained his passport and drugs and that Mumbai police intended to interrogate him. He received another call, claiming to be from Mumbai Police, threatening him with arrest as the parcel he sent contained drugs. They convinced him to send Rs 1.41 lakh to a bank account. After sending the money and enquiring with his friends, he realised he was scammed.

Based on Sriram's complaint, Vadapalani police registered a case. After investigations, they arrested R Praveen Kumar (31) of Periyamet. Police are also looking for a female accomplice. Commissioner Sandeep Rai Rathore appealed to the public to exercise caution when communicating with individuals calling from unfamiliar phone numbers and refrain from sharing personal banking and other sensitive information.