Ahmedabad: A laboratory technician employed at Civil Hospital in Gandhinagar was cheated of Rs 69.64 lakh in an online “pre-IPO allotment“ scam that began with a social media advertisement and escalated through a WhatsApp group.According to a complaint registered recently with the Gandhinagar Cyber Police Station, the 37-year-old technician stated that she came across a social media advertisement carrying the message, “Tired of Zero Allotment?” Attracted by the offer, she clicked on the given link.She stated that she received a PDF file and a link, and was asked to enter her name and PAN details, after which she was added to a WhatsApp group called “Wealth Management-5”, where pre-IPO allotments were frequently discussed.The complainant later received a link and some documents, including an “agreement” and a “nominee form”, and was provided with login credentials to access an investment platform. She alleged that she was then instructed to transfer funds to several bank accounts, purportedly for pre-IPO investments.The first transfer of Rs 2 lakh was made in Jan this year. The complainant claimed that she was subsequently shown high profits and was allowed to withdraw Rs 68,000, which increased her trust in the investment scheme and the group.The complainant further stated that, following this, she transferred larger amounts on multiple dates in Jan, including Rs 5 lakh, Rs 4 lakh, Rs 15 lakh, Rs 17 lakh, and Rs 17.05 lakh.She further alleged that the application displayed profits of Rs 1.03 crore. However, when she requested a withdrawal, she was told to deposit 10% of the profit, amounting to Rs 10.26 lakh, which she transferred on Feb 4.The complainant stated that she transferred a total of Rs 70.32 lakh and could withdraw only Rs 68,000. When she was unable to withdraw the remaining amount, she realised she had been cheated. She reported the matter to the cybercrime helpline 1930 and received an acknowledgement. A case was registered on Wednesday.
