Ahmedabad: A 31-year-old man from Vastral area in the city has filed a police complaint alleging he was cheated of Rs 31.73 lakh in an online scam involving a fake real estate promotional job offered through Telegram.The victim, Jayesh Suthar, a senior service engineer working remotely for a Mumbai-based firm, told cybercrime police that he was contacted in Nov 2024 by a woman identifying herself as ‘Shabina’. She offered him part-time online work promoting real estate listings of a company named ‘DLF’.Suthar was added to a Telegram group where others claimed to earn profits from similar tasks. After receiving Rs 16,439 as initial returns, he was encouraged to invest larger amounts. He deposited over Rs 31.73 lakh between Nov 15 and Dec 1 last year, guided by others individuals in the group using names like ‘Surya’ and ‘Bharati’.Suthar said he got only Rs 81,188 back. When he tried to withdraw the balance amount, the portal link became inactive and the accused stopped replying.Police have registered a case based on the details shared by the complainant, including chat logs and transaction records. An investigation was underway under relevant sections of the BNS for cheating, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy.