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Udupi: An incident of a woman losing Rs 9 lakh out of her desire to buy a handbag seen on Instagram has come to light.

Santhekatte resident Sanina Banu (30), who holds an Instagram account under the handle @anina_banu, noticed a handbag sale advertisement on an unknown individual's account named @bagvogue.co__ on April 23.

Following this, she messaged the account inquiring about purchasing a handbag.

In response, the individual quoted Rs 899 for the handbag and Rs 1,950 for delivery charges.

They subsequently sent a payment scanner from their WhatsApp number, requesting her to transfer the amount.

Sanina then sent a total of Rs 2,849, combining the Rs 899 product cost and Rs 1,950 delivery charges, via Google Pay from her Union Bank account to the scanner provided by the stranger.

Following this, the unidentified individuals contacted Sanina over WhatsApp calls, citing various reasons and claiming they would refund the money she had transferred.

Believing their words, she went on to transfer a staggering Rs 9,00,442 in multiple phases until May 13 from her bank account as well as her mother Saira Banu's Union Bank account.

The fraudsters neither delivered the handbag booked by Sanina nor returned the Rs 9,00,442 transferred by her.

A case regarding the cheating incident has been registered at the CEN (Cyber, Economic, and Narcotic Crimes) police station.