Nagpur: A senior citizen has fallen victim to an online fraud and lost Rs 22.86 lakh under the guise of winning substantial sums through online share trading. The cyber police have registered an offense based on the complaint lodged by the victim and launched a hunt to nab the fraudsters.
Speaking to Nagpur Today, PSI Pandhre of Cyber Police Station, said the 61- year-old complainant is a retired government official. He received a call in December last year. The caller, purporting to be a marketing executive from a share trading company, lured the senior citizen with the promise of significant income through online investments. The elderly man considered it a lucrative opportunity and accepted the proposal. His contact details were added to a WhatsApp group, labelled FY337, on December 20 of the same year and he was instructed to download FY Gold mobile application, the PSI added.
The PSI further said that from that point onward, the elderly man closely monitored the conversations within the group. These interactions were crafted to create an illusion that group members were reaping profits in lakhs of rupees from online trading. As a result, the senior citizen fell prey to the offer and invested a considerable amount of money. Initially, the victim started receiving messages on mobile applications indicating profits. However, these profits existed only within the application and did not materialise in reality.
He mentioned that when the senior citizen attempted to withdraw the accumulated amount, he encountered obstacles. Despite numerous efforts, he was unable to access the funds. In total, the victim had invested Rs 22.86 lakh across various accounts linked to the fraudster.
Realising the fraud, the senior citizen approached the police and lodged a formal complaint. The Cyber Police Station registered an offense under Sections 419 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code read with Section 66(d) of the Information Technology Act. Further investigation is on.
