Nagpur: In yet another online fraud, a 59-year-old resident of Ajni area lost more than Rs 66.50 lakh to cyber crooks who lured him with promises of high returns on stock market investment.
The victim, identified as Ravindra Dashrath Mohaje, residing at Plot No 23, Vishwakarma Nagar, was contacted by individuals posing as stock brokers. The fraudsters, who identified themselves as Roshan Joshi and Ayesha Jha, reached out to Mohaje through phone calls from cell numbers 9119345729 and 9189822056079. They convinced him to join their WhatsApp groups, ‘SBI Service Group’ and ‘VIP Task Force,’ where they promised significant profits from stock trading.
Starting on July 10, 2024, the scammers gained Mohaje’s trust by discussing supposed profits from share trading within the groups. Over the course of the next six weeks, until August 20, 2024, they persuaded Mohaje to invest heavily in shares, assuring him of substantial returns. Falling prey to the deception, Mohaje transferred a total of Rs 66.50 lakh to various bank accounts provided by the fraudsters.
However, when Mohaje did not receive any of the promised profits or a refund of his investment, he realised he had been duped and promptly filed a complaint with the Ajni Police.
Based on his complaint, the Ajni Police have registered a case under Sections 316(2), 318(4), 111(2)(b) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, alongwith Section 66(d) of the IT Act, against the scammers.