Ahmedabad: A 35-year-old man from Vejalpur has approached the Cybercrime police after allegedly being cheated of Rs 22 lakh by fraudsters who lured him into a fake stock trading scheme through a messaging app group.According to the FIR, the complainant works as a senior executive with a pharmaceutical company located on Ambli-Bopal Road. On Feb 1, he received a message inviting him to join a stock market investment discussion group on a messaging platform. The group, which had over 150 members, frequently shared stock trading tips and screenshots claiming high returns. The complainant stated that one of the group administrators introduced himself as a representative of a reputed investment firm. He allegedly convinced the members to download a mobile trading application through a link shared in the group. Trusting the claims, the complainant installed the app and created an account using his personal and identity details. Initially, the application displayed profits ranging between 10% and 20%, which boosted his confidence. The accused then contacted him privately and shared multiple bank account details, asking him to transfer money for stock purchases. Between Febr 24 and March 18, the complainant transferred a total of Rs 22 lakh through several transactions to accounts held in different banks. Later, the app showed a profit exceeding Rs 2.5 crore. However, when the complainant attempted to withdraw the amount, the request was blocked. The accused subsequently demanded over Rs 30 lakh as “income tax” to release the funds. Realizing he had been duped, the complainant approached the police. A case has been registered for cheating, impersonation and criminal breach of trust, and further investigation is underway to trace the accused and the money trail. Info box Headline: Lured with good returns Fraudsters posed as investment firm representatives to gain credibility Fake trading app initially showed consistent profits to build trust Funds transferred to multiple bank accounts over several transactions Withdrawal blocked; accused demanded additional money as “tax” Cybercrime police registered case; probe underway to trace culprits MSID:: 129880182 413 |
