Coimbatore: A software engineer from Singanallur in the city, was cheated of 83.3 lakh in an online stock trading scam through WhatsApp.Police said the victim, Thangabalu Sakthivel, 40, came across an online trading advertisement in November 2025 and contacted the number provided. On November 17, 2025, he was added to a WhatsApp group named ‘A1 wealth research institute,’ where members claimed to be SEBI-registered stockbrokers. He was instructed to open an account on the website Mbrookf.in and buy specific stocks as directed.Investigators said the platform initially showed profits, with the victim’s digital wallet value increasing after each trade, which led him to invest more. Between November 17, 2025, and February 12, 2026, he transferred a total of 83.3 lakh. However, he later realised that he could not claim the profits, or recover the amount invested. He subsequently filed a complaint with the city cybercrime police on February 13, following which a case was registered. Further investigation is on.
