Doctor Loses Rs 22.7 Lakh in Cyber Fraud

Overview of the Incident

In a startling case of cyber fraud, a female doctor from Delhi fell victim to a fake stock market investment scheme, losing a staggering Rs 22.7 lakh. The fraudsters enticed her with promises of high returns, operating through a deceptive stock trading application. The Delhi Police have since arrested two individuals from Haryana in relation to this case.

Details of the Complaint

The investigation commenced following a complaint filed by the doctor on November 13. She alleged that she was added to a messaging app group named ‘Stan Chart Dialogue Forum L7’, where the administrators provided advice on D-mat share investments.

Fraudulent Activities Uncovered

According to DCP (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam, one of the group administrators, who went by the name Yalini Guna, persuaded the victim to invest through a mobile application, providing a link for download. Initially, the doctor invested approximately Rs 2.7 lakh across multiple transactions. While the application indicated profits, she faced pressure to invest additional funds when she attempted to withdraw her money. Ultimately, she transferred a total of Rs 22.70 lakh before being blocked from the app.

Legal Action Taken

An e-FIR was filed against the accused under sections 318(4) (cheating) and 340 (forged document or electronic record and using it as genuine) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Investigation Progress

During the investigation, police traced the financial transactions via the NCRP portal and identified a bank account associated with Sameer, a resident of Hisar. Further analysis of call detail records linked additional suspect numbers to the case.

On November 10, law enforcement conducted raids in Hisar, resulting in the arrests of Sameer (22) and Dev Singh (22). DCP Gautam informed TOI that Sameer admitted to opening five to six bank accounts at different banks, which he provided to Dev Singh for Rs 4,000 per account. These accounts were utilized for routing the fraudulent funds.

Evidence and Next Steps

Two mobile phones and three SIM cards were confiscated from the suspects. Both individuals have been presented before a court and remanded to judicial custody.

Authorities revealed that the suspects employed a typical modus operandi, reaching out to victims via social media with promises of substantial returns. They built trust by displaying fake profits before absconding with larger amounts.

Further investigations are ongoing to identify additional members of the cyber fraud syndicate and recover the remaining proceeds from the crime.