Pune: Two people, a techie and a shopkeeper, were collectively duped of Rs 1.2 crore by online fraudsters, who promised them handsome returns on investments in online share-trading.The Pune cyber police registered two separate cases on Friday.A 35-year-old techie from Sinhagad Road lodged a complaint stating that online fraudsters cheated him of Rs 52 lakh between Sept and Oct last year. According to the police, the techie was added to a group on a messaging application, where the members regularly discussed the high returns they earned through online share trading and thanked the group administrator for his trading tips.The police said, “The techie contacted the group administrator, who asked him to download an application for online share trading and sent him a link. He downloaded the app. Later, the group administrator persuaded him to invest in high-value shares and IPOs with his assistance. The administrator shared details of five bank accounts. The techie transferred a total sum of Rs 52 lakh into those accounts. Later, when the crooks did not let the techie withdraw any money, he realised he had been duped.”In another case, a 38-year-old shopkeeper from Satara Road lodged a complaint stating that fraudsters cheated him of Rs 68.43 lakh between Oct 2020 and June 2026 using a similar modus operandi.
