Team Goemkarponn
SHIRODA: A man from Shiroda in Ponda was allegedly cheated of ₹1.61 lakh in an online parcel scam after fraudsters posed as a Facebook friend and a customs officer.
According to a complaint lodged by Andrew Godinho, a resident of Shiroda, Ponda, the incident began on February 7, 2026 when he received a message on WhatsApp from a person impersonating his Facebook friend, identified as Dr. Anna Donat.
The accused allegedly informed the complainant that on the occasion of her birthday on December 14, 2025, she had sent a parcel from the United Kingdom to his home address in Goa containing gifts and cash.
The parcel was said to include items such as a mobile phone, perfumes, a wristwatch, a gold chain and a gold bracelet. The complainant was also told to donate 40 percent of the cash amount to an orphanage.
Subsequently, between December 15 and December 22, 2025, the complainant received WhatsApp calls and messages from different mobile numbers from an unknown person who identified herself as Deepika Sharma, claiming to be a customs officer from Delhi.
The caller informed the complainant that the parcel sent from the UK to Goa had been held for customs clearance and asked him to make payments for its release, assuring that the parcel would be delivered once the charges were cleared.
Believing the claims, the complainant transferred a total amount of ₹1,61,000 through the GPay accounts of his wife and daughter to the UPI IDs provided by the accused in multiple transactions.
However, the accused persons neither delivered the parcel nor returned the money, thereby allegedly cheating the complainant of ₹1.61 lakh.
Further investigation into the case is being carried out by PSI Bansal Naik of Ponda Police Station.
