CA arrested for deceiving B’luru stores with fake online payments for luxury clothes

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru

A woman from Kolar, identified as Rashmi, has been arrested by the police for allegedly deceiving high-end clothing stores by pretending to make online payments for luxury clothing purchases. Rashmi, a Chartered Accountant by profession, reportedly purchased expensive garments worth Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 from upscale stores and claimed to pay via online methods like PhonePe or Google Pay. She would provide her name and a mobile number to the store owner and then leave, giving the impression that the payment had been processed. However, when the payments failed to appear in their accounts, store owners would try to contact her, only to find she was unresponsive. In some instances, Rashmi had even provided alternate phone numbers, misleading store owners and leaving them unable to reach her.

The most recent incident took place in a prominent store in Sadashivanagar, where Rashmi repeated this scheme, claiming to have paid online. When the payment didn’t go through, the store owner registered a complaint with the Sadashivanagar Police Station. The authorities took swift action, investigating the case thoroughly and arresting Rashmi. She has now been placed in judicial custody, and the police are advising local businesses to verify online payments before releasing products. Police officials noted that her background as a Chartered Accountant might have helped her gain the trust of store owners, who assumed she was financially credible.