Kanpur: A cyber fraud of Rs 80 crore came to fore after a man, Shailendra Kumar, of Raipurwa lodged an FIR at Cyber Crime police station, alleging that a couple duped people across multiple states through fake investment schemes and foreign trip offers.Based on the complaint, the Cyber Crime Branch registered a case against Bablu Mandal, a resident of Bardhaman in West Bengal, and his wife Sarvamani Mandal under sections related to fraud and forgery. The complaint includes details of over 30 investors from Kanpur and more than 50 victims from other cities including Ghaziabad, Kolkata, Haryana and Punjab.According to the FIR, Shailendra Kumar was introduced to the investment scheme about two years ago by his acquaintances. In May 2024, a meeting was held at a hotel in Govindnagar, where representatives of the company, Shanta Kumar Das and Vidhayak Chakravarti, briefed potential investors. They claimed the company had a widespread network, with a branch in Salt Lake, Kolkata, and its head office in Dubai.The FIR states that Bablu Mandal, also known as Rajan Mandal, was the owner of the company, while operations were handled by his wife. Investors were initially paid returns, which built trust. On Feb 15, 2025, several investors were invited to Dubai with tickets and visas provided by the company on the occasion of its purported fifth anniversary. Many attendees reportedly invested additional funds during the trip. However, soon after, the accused allegedly stopped responding to calls. When the complainant visited the Kolkata office, he learned that several investors had already been duped and that a case had been registered there as well.Cyber Crime Branch Inspector Satish Chandra Yadav said preliminary findings suggest that the fraud was carried out through a fake company set up to lure investors with promises of high returns and foreign trips.
