Bhopal-Based Senior Advocate Duped of ₹78.25 Lakh in Investment Fraud

A Bhopal-based senior advocate has been allegedly duped by unidentified cyber-cons in a major investment fraud involving ₹78.25 lakh under the pretence of investing in the stock market. Cyber-criminals lured the advocate with promises of high returns, initially offering small profits to gain his trust. The scammers demanded ₹65 lakh as a tax amount before releasing the returns, leading the victim to realise he was duped. Acting on the complaint, the Cyber-crime Branch registered a case against unidentified accused and started investigations.

Key Takeaways:

• The victim, a 52-year-old senior advocate, was targeted by cyber-criminals on Facebook, Telegram, and WhatsApp groups posing as a stock market expert.
• The advocate invested a total of ₹78.25 lakh in multiple accounts, believing them to be genuine and authorised by nationalised banks, in accordance with RBI regulations.
• The accounts were fake and fraudulently opened by the scammers.
• The scammers demanded ₹65 lakh as a tax fee before releasing any funds, which led the advocate to suspect the scam.
• A case was registered by the Cybercrime Branch, and an investigation is underway.
• The victim initially received ₹15,642 as profit, further strengthening his trust in the scam.

Statistics:

• ₹78.25 lakh: Total amount invested by the victim in multiple accounts.
• ₹65 lakh: Amount demanded by scammers as a tax fee.
• ₹15,642: Initial profit received by the victim.
• 52: Age of the victim, a senior advocate.
• Feb 15: Date the victim lodged a complaint with the cyber-crime Branch.
• Dec 2, 2024: Date the advocate was contacted by the scammer "Suhani Sharma" on Facebook.
• Dec 4-5: Dates when the advocate transferred ₹75,000 and received profit.

Sources:

• TIMES NEWS NETWORK Bhopal
• TIMES NEWS NETWORK Bhopal, Feb 15 (Source: None specified)