Online results showed 'Sunny Wine Shop' in Magarpatta (Representative Image) | Photo Credit: BCCL

Key Highlights The complainant is a doctor practicing with a city-based private hospital He came across 'Sunny Wine Shop' in Magarpatta as the result of an online search Pune police have lodged a case on the basis of the doctor's complaint

Pune: Sharing debit/credit card details or one-time passwords (OTPs) is akin to welcoming schemesters to your home and in particular, your bank account. A doctor in Maharashtra's Pune city learned this the hard way after he was duped by two people to the tune of over ₹25,000 while trying to order booze online.

In his complaint to Wanowrie police, the 32-year-old medical professional who works with a city-based private hospital, said that the incident took place on November 2. He claimed that he was at home in Mohammadwadi and wanted to order a bottle of whisky a little after midnight. A quick Google search led him to the contact details of one 'Sunny Wine Shop' in Magarpatta.

The doctor called on the listed contact number and was received on the other end of the line by a man claiming to be an employee of the liquor store. According to a report, the alleged employee took some time and told the complainant that the bottle of whisky he was looking for was available. In turn, the doctor said that he would want to pick up the bottle in person and told the employee to hold it until he arrives.

However, the employee said that the liquor store was closing and it would be easier for the doctor to place an online order and receive delivery of the whisky bottle at his doorstep. Convinced about the authenticity of 'Sunny Wine Shop', the complainant shared his debit card details with the employee as requested. He then shared an OTP and the cost of the bottle (₹1,850) was deducted from his bank account. A few minutes later, the man claiming to be an employee of the store called the doctor back and told him that the bottle cannot be sent owing to a lack of delivery boys.

Outraged, the doctor demanded a refund from the employee. A second man then took over on the other side of the line and promised the complainant that his money will be refunded if he shares another OTP with him. When he did, another amount of ₹9,091 was deducted from his bank account. This went on for about 10 minutes during which the complainant lost a total of ₹26,652 as a result of sharing seven OTPs with the men posing to be employees of the liquor store. When he realised that he had been duped, the doctor rushed to the address listed for 'Sunny Wine Shop' in Magarpatta but could not find any such store in its place.

This is the second such incident to have come to light from Pune where a complainant was duped by men claiming to be employees of a liquor store and promising delivery at odd hours of the night. Earlier this month, a female engineer was cheated of ₹50,778 after she tried to order alcohol from a liquor store she found online.