‘Got Call From Mumbai Police, Was Hypnotised’

Television actress Karuna Pandey, currently seen in the serial Pushpa Impossible, was recently duped of Rs 2.75 lakh after falling victim to an online scam. The actress, who starred in Prem Ratan Dhan Payo alongside Salman Khan and Sonam Kapoor, revealed that she got a call from Mumbai Police three months ago while she was filming for her serial.

Speaking about the incident, Karuna said that the caller informed her the High Court had summoned her concerning one of her bank accounts, which was allegedly involved in illegal transactions. “They even knew my account number and said that Deputy Commissoner of Police would video call me. It sounded believable, and since I hadn’t used that account in a long time, I got worried,” said Pandey.

Further, she shared that the person who video called her identified himself as the DCP and assured her that they were investigating the case to find out whether the financial transactions were illegal or not.

“He advised me not to talk about this with anyone and instead settle the matter by paying Rs 2,75,000. I don’t know what happened to me at that point and I transferred that money. I think I was hyponitised,” added Karuna.

Later, the actress continued with the shooting for her serial, and when her colleagues enquired about what had happened, she informed them about the phone call, and that is when she realised that she was scammed. Soon after, she contacted the Cyber Crime Cell to lodge a complaint and is now hoping that the police catch the real culprits.

“The authorities told me that they will try to retrieve the money, but it is difficult because I transferred it myself. But I want everyone to know about this new scam, so that nobody falls prey to it. After this bad experience, I have become extremely alert,” she added.