Mangaluru woman loses Rs 57.31 lakh to fraudsters posing as UNHCR representatives

Mangaluru woman loses Rs 57.31 lakh to fraudsters posing as UNHCR representatives

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Oct 29, 2026: A 44-year-old woman has allegedly been cheated of Rs 57.31 lakh by two men who posed as representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and offered to purchase fire extinguishers from her business.

According to the complaint, the woman’s husband received a WhatsApp call in February from a person identifying himself as Nithesh Kumar, who claimed to be calling from Nairobi, Kenya. Speaking in Tulu, he allegedly introduced himself as a UNHCR employee originally from Kaup in Udupi district.

He expressed interest in purchasing fire extinguishers sold by the couple and asked them to contact his superior, identified as Rajaguru Reddiar, to proceed with the deal. The following day, another person using the name Rajaguru Reddiar contacted them through WhatsApp and reiterated his interest in purchasing the products. He reportedly promised to issue a purchase order after receiving their quotation.

After several days of communication over WhatsApp calls, Reddiar allegedly claimed that certain documents were required under Kenyan regulations to complete the transaction. These included a registration certificate, an anti-money laundering certificate, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) certificate and a Financial Intelligence Authority certificate. He also demanded money towards insurance and bank storage charges.

Reddiar allegedly assured the couple that the required certificates could be obtained quickly if they transferred the money, enabling the business transaction to proceed without delay.

Believing his claims, the woman allegedly transferred a total of Rs 57,31,175 from her bank accounts to accounts provided by Reddiar between February 23 and June 29.

After receiving the money, Reddiar allegedly contacted her again and demanded additional payments. Suspicious of the demands, the woman asked both men to refund the amount. However, they allegedly offered various excuses and eventually stopped answering her calls.

A case has been registered at the CEN Crime Police Station in connection with the alleged fraud.