Bengaluru Woman Duped Of Rs 30,000 In Scam While Trying To Buy African Grey Parrot

A 27-year-old woman lost Rs 30,000 to a scam while attempting to purchase an African Grey parrot at a discounted price.

According to a police complaint filed by Shivangi Kar Bandopadhayay, a Koramangala resident and central government employee, she received a call from a man claiming to know someone selling African Grey parrots.

He inquired if she was interested in buying one. Shivangi, who had been looking for a parrot, asked him to send pictures.

The man promptly shared photos and videos of the bird and informed her it was a 15-18-month-old, fully tamed female parrot with DNA certification. He quoted a price of Rs 40,000, significantly lower than the market price of Rs 75,000, reported The Times of India.

Shivangi told that she had mentioned her plans to buy a parrot in a Facebook post, without sharing her phone number. She expressed concern about how the caller obtained her contact information.

When Shivangi asked to see the parrot in person, the man claimed he had already paid half the price to the seller and instructed her to pay the remainder directly. He then connected her via conference call to another individual, allegedly the seller, and shared the location of a pet shop on Infantry Road.

Shivangi visited the shop and asked to see the bird. Despite the language barrier, the shopkeeper showed her the parrot and confirmed its details. Satisfied, she contacted the caller, who directed her to transfer Rs 30,000 to a UPI ID, "shaikjani1431@iob," and not disclose the amount to the shopkeeper.

After making the payment, Shivangi discovered that the caller had switched off his phone. When she asked the shopkeeper for the bird, he refused, stating he had not received any payment. Shivangi alleged that the shopkeeper and the scammer were colluding, questioning how the shopkeeper recognised her and showed her the same bird as in the photos.

However, the shopkeeper denied any involvement.

Speaking to The Times of India, he explained that the caller had contacted him online, claiming he wanted to gift the parrot to his girlfriend. He had instructed the shopkeeper to share details of the bird with the woman but not to collect money from her.

"The woman called the man in front of me and asked whom to pay. Sensing something was wrong, I advised her not to transfer money and report the matter to the police. I have no connection with the fraudster," he stated. He added, "She was deceived because she was looking for a bargain, while the market price of the bird is Rs 75,000."

A senior police officer confirmed that a case has been registered at Commercial Street Police Station under the Information Technology Act and Section 318 (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Efforts are ongoing to track down the scammer.