A 19-year-old resident of Patna, Bihar, has been arrested by Colvale Police for allegedly cheating a Thivim resident out of ₹4.24 lakh by falsely promising a franchise with an ice cream company. The accused, Alok Kumar, allegedly convinced the victim to pay various charges – including registration and software setup fees – claiming they were required to secure the dealership. After receiving the money in multiple transfers, he stopped responding to the victim’s calls and messages.
Acting on a complaint, the Cyber Crime Unit assisted in tracing the suspect to Paliganj, Bihar, and managed to freeze ₹2 lakh of the transferred amount. Alok was taken into custody and brought to Goa, where he was produced before the Bicholim Judicial Magistrate and remanded to five days of police custody. Preliminary investigation suggests that Kumar may be connected to five other similar fraud cases, collectively involving more than ₹22 lakh. Further inquiries are underway.
