Bengali actor loses over Rs 1 lakh in online electricity bill scam after downloading app

Sreelekha Mitra also commended the quick action taken by the police upon receiving her complaint.

Sreelekha Mitra, a popular Bengali actor, recently fell victim to an online electricity bill scam. She suffered a loss of more than Rs 1,00,000. The incident happened on August 29, just a day before her birthday, while she was battling a bout of fever, according to a Times of India report.

In an interview, Mitra mentioned that she received an unknown call a day before her birthday. The caller then convinced her to download an application on the phone. She claimed that she was so weak because of the fever that she wasn’t able to figure out that she was interacting with a cyber-criminal. By the time she realised, she had lost access to her bank account and when she regained it, the fraudster had already withdrawn a significant amount from the account.

Shocked and disheartened, Mitra took to social media to share her harrowing experience. She admitted that she was wrong in trusting the caller and also urged everyone to be cautious and vigilant.

"I thought I was being smart, but I ended up making a foolish mistake. I urge everyone to be cautious to avoid falling into a similar trap. I won't disclose the exact amount I lost, but it's more than a lakh. I have reported the incident to the police and contacted the cyber cell,” Mitra said.

The actor also commended the quick action taken by the police upon receiving her complaint. Her goal now is to alert others about the threat of similar scams and warn people about them.