In a bizarre case of theft reported in Bengaluru on October 21, thieves robbed a man of Rs 16,000 in a moving cab through Paytm.
The thieves snatched 38-year-old Santhosh’s mobile phone which had dual SIM cards. They installed Paytm and opened two accounts. They then forced him to transfer money from his two bank accounts (SBI and Canara Bank) to his Paytm accounts and transferred that money in their own accounts – a total of Rs 16,000, as per a report in Deccan Herald.
How it started
Santosh, who teaches at a fashion design institute, was near his house and was waiting for a taxi when a cab driver stopped and requested him to sit so he could complete the daily quota of his rides. Notably, cab-aggregators offer incentives when a cab driver completes a given number of rides in a day.
Santosh got in, but was surprised that a man was already sitting inside. Thinking it’s a shared ride, Santosh didn’t protest. On the way, two more men joined in. The cab finally halted and the robbery took place. The men initially demanded Santosh’s wallet but snatched his phone when they found only Rs 200.
The New Indian Express‘s report of the case says Santosh’s ATM details were received from his family members via Whatsapp after Santosh was threatened with a knife to call his family. This implies that Santosh’s bank details were with his family and not him. The report also says the cash robbed was Rs 14,000 while other reports say it is Rs 16,000.
Santosh has also reportedly suffered injuries on his face and a fracture in his rib cage.