Mumbai: Dongri police have arrested five cyber fraudsters who allegedly lured a businessman into investing in foreign exchange trading and cheated him of nearly Rs 1.6 crore. Police had registered an FIR in the matter last month.
On Sept 21, 2023, the complainant, who is in his mid-50s and runs a transport business, received an email from one “Dubai-based architect Nainika” advising him to invest in foreign exchange trading and earn 10%-15% profit, said police.The complainant contacted her on the phone number given in the email and she managed to convince him to invest money in forex trading. The next month, he invested Rs 1 lakh in an account provided by her and later she transferred Rs 8,000 profit to him. After gaining his trust, the fraudsters contacted him on Telegram and asked him to invest more money.
Buoyed by the profit earnings, by the second week of Nov 2023, the complainant transferred a total Rs 1.6 crore in eight different bank accounts provided by the fraudsters. On verification of his trading status, the businessman found that he had around Rs 2.1 crore, including his investment, in his virtual account, but he could not withdraw the money. He contacted the person he was communicating with on Telegram but was told to deposit another Rs 62 lakh as tax to withdraw the money. Soon after, the Telegram account through which the businessman was communicating with the accused was deleted, he told police.
Worried, he confided in a friend, who told him that he had been cheated. The businessman then lodged a complaint at Dongri police station on Dec 22. Police managed to track down the accused and arrested five of them this week. A search is on for their accomplices, said an officer.
On Sept 21, 2023, the complainant, who is in his mid-50s and runs a transport business, received an email from one “Dubai-based architect Nainika” advising him to invest in foreign exchange trading and earn 10%-15% profit, said police.The complainant contacted her on the phone number given in the email and she managed to convince him to invest money in forex trading. The next month, he invested Rs 1 lakh in an account provided by her and later she transferred Rs 8,000 profit to him. After gaining his trust, the fraudsters contacted him on Telegram and asked him to invest more money.
Buoyed by the profit earnings, by the second week of Nov 2023, the complainant transferred a total Rs 1.6 crore in eight different bank accounts provided by the fraudsters. On verification of his trading status, the businessman found that he had around Rs 2.1 crore, including his investment, in his virtual account, but he could not withdraw the money. He contacted the person he was communicating with on Telegram but was told to deposit another Rs 62 lakh as tax to withdraw the money. Soon after, the Telegram account through which the businessman was communicating with the accused was deleted, he told police.
Worried, he confided in a friend, who told him that he had been cheated. The businessman then lodged a complaint at Dongri police station on Dec 22. Police managed to track down the accused and arrested five of them this week. A search is on for their accomplices, said an officer.