Mumbai, Apr 24 ( PTI) An 81-year-old woman was cheated of Rs 3 lakh by a person posing as her US-based relative, a Mumbai police official said on Thursday.

The woman stays with her 60-year-old daughter-in-law, who is the complainant in the case, and 39-year-old granddaughter, the Chunabhatti police station official said.

On April 4, a family member got a message from a “US based relative” from a number, which she saved believing it was the latter’s new number, the official said.

“The accused first sought Rs 1 lakh for some urgent matter, which was transferred through NEFT. The accused then sought Rs 2 lakh, which was transferred by the 81-year-old woman on April 15. However, when the accused sought bigger amounts in the range of Rs 5-7 lakh, the woman and her kin found it suspicious,” he said.

“They could not get any response on this number. When they called the US-based relative on an old number, she told them she had not received any money, which made them realise they had been cheated,” the official added.

A case has been registered against unidentified person/s and further probe is underway, he said. PTI DC BNM