Gurugram: A city resident was allegedly duped of ₹1.5 crore by a married couple on the pretext of providing iPhones, watches and other Apple products at a heavy discount, police said on Friday.
Police said that the husband and wife, who are residents of Sector 72, are yet to be arrested, adding that the man had introduced himself as a former director-level employee of Apple and his wife as chief executive officer of a private firm.
Police said that the victim, identified as Sandeep Kumar, a resident of Sector 12A, came to know about the suspects through a common friend in November 2020.
Investigators said that the suspects allured Kumar by offering him premium gadgets at 30% discount but on complete payment in advance.
They said that the suspect provided Kumar an iPhone11 at a discounted rate and later his relatives and friends purchased items worth more ₹23.26 lakh from the couple, who developed a strong bond with the victim and his family members.
Police said that after a few days, the couple periodically started asking for financial help from Kumar.
Kumar paid ₹1.5 crore to the suspects between April 2021 and April 2022, police said, adding that when Kumar asked them to return his money, they promised repayment after selling their apartment in Ghaziabad.
Police said the suspects gave the victim cheques which were dishonoured by the bank after which he visited Ghaziabad and met the man’s father and came to know that he had duped several persons.
On Kumar’s complaint, an FIR was registered under Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Sector 14 police station on Thursday night, police added.
Inspector Krishan Kant, station house officer (SHO), Sector 14 police station, said police are gathering evidence against the couple. “It will be clear soon if the prime suspect is actually a director of Apple or not,” he said.
