Ahmedabad: A 62-year-old pensioner from the Vasna area lodged a cybercrime complaint on Thursday, stating that fraudsters duped him of Rs 37 lakh by promising lucrative stock market returns between March and April this year.
According to his FIR, the victim spotted a Facebook advertisement offering stock market investment tips. Upon clicking the link, he was added to a WhatsApp group containing 60 members, where information about stock markets and IPOs (initial public offerings) was shared.
The victim stated that a group member named Anjana Kapoor directed him to sign up on a specific portal for making investments. He was provided with bank account details where he transferred Rs 36.69 lakh between March 19 and April 18.
Later, when he tried to access his funds, he was asked to pay Rs 1.74 lakh as tax. Upon realising the deception, he contacted the cybercrime helpline.
The cybercrime police have initiated an investigation after filing a case under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for breach of trust, cheating, and criminal conspiracy, alongside charges under the Information Technology Act.