Navi Mumbai: Rickshaw driver loses Rs 1.15 lakh to cyber fraudsters in forex trading

A 38-year-old auto-rickshaw driver lost Rs1.15 lakh to cyber fraudsters who tricked him on the pretext of forex trading. The complainant received a call on Oct 10 afternoon regarding investment in forex trading and the caller assured him of a minimum 10% return, said the police. He told him that he would think about it. However, during the day, they called him multiple times and convinced him that he would not be cheated.

According to police, the complainant started by paying Rs 15,000 as an initial investment. He also sent Aadhar and PAN nos, bank account details and a photo to fraudsters via WhatsApp. Later, a woman called him for verification and assured him that his money will be safe.

In just four days, the complainant invested a total of Rs1.15 lakh, including the account opening process charge. The fraudsters kept sending screenshots of profits to the man and encouraged him to invest more money.

On Oct 14, one of the fraudsters, who identified himself as Akash, was supposed to pay Rs20,000 profit from the investment. However, he didn't transfer the money and when the complainant called and messaged him, he first gave evasive replies and finally stopped responding.

Having realised that he had been cheated, the man approached the Rabale police station and registered a complaint. A case was registered against three people under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code as well as the Information Technology Act.