KOLLAM: An antique Petromax lamp (pressurised paraffin lamp) with iridium content, made by British East India company in 1600 has become an object of money fraud to the tune of crores of rupees.
The city police, on Monday, arrested five men when they were trying to sell the petromax. Three of the arrested are from Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu and two from Kollam. The arrested have been identified as Prince, 54, of Kovilthottam, Saleem, 43, of Shihas Cottage in Pallimukku, Jayaraj Perumal, 65, of Theni, Jose Jackson, 43, of Tirunelveli, and Shenkuttuvan, 43.
The fraudsters used lure customers by giving advertisement on the internet. The ads were that exaggerated the features and market value of the lamp. They even made separate attractive websites for the lamp. The contact address also varied from time to time.
And shockingly, the team reportedly functioned under Arjunan, a retired SI from Thirunelveli and the police say the team would have earned crores of rupees through this fraud quick-money deal, even before selling the lamp. Many people including foreigners are believed to have become the victims of this duping.
No comments:
Post a Comment