Pune: Online fraudsters allegedly cheated a techie (53) of Rs43.73 lakh by promising him handsome returns on his investment through online share trading.The techie, a resident of Sinhagad Road, lodged a complaint with the Sinhagad Road police on Sunday, stating he was cheated between July and Aug.According to the police, the fraudsters added the techie’s phone number to a group on a messaging app. The group members discussed the high returns they had generated by trading shares online. The members would thank the group admin for the tips.“The techie, impressed with the figures discussed by the group members contacted the group admin and enquired about share trading. The group admin allegedly told him to download a cellphone application for share trading and sent him a link to the app. The techie downloaded it and started buying shares of low value,” an officer from Sinhagad Road said.“The group admin then contacted the techie and allegedly told him to buy high-value shares and participate in IPOs. The suspect also promised to help him. “The group admin allegedly shared details of five different bank accounts with the techie and asked him to transfer money to them. He promised he would buy shares on the victim’s behalf. The techie trusted him and transferred money to the bank accounts,” the officer said.The application showed the techie a profit of over Rs1 crore within a few days. When he decided to sell the shares and withdraw the profit, the suspects did not allow him. The techie then realised that he had been cheated.
