Pune: Hinjawadi Man Loses ₹33.96 Lakh In Crypto Scam Promising 40% Returns; Case Registered With Pimpri-Chinchwad Police

Pimpri-Chinchwad: In a classic cryptocurrency scam, a medical healthcare employee from Hinjawadi has lost his hard-earned money worth Rs 33.96 lakh. The cyber thieves had promised him a return of 30 to 40%, which made him invest his money. However, in a scam that spanned 12 days, the victim found himself defrauded of the amount he had invested.

Digvijay Suresh Sutar (30, Hinjawadi) has complained to the Hinjawadi Police Station. A criminal case has been registered against mobile number holders and bank account holders under the BNS sections 318 (cheating), 316 (criminal breach of trust), and 3 (5) (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).

According to police reports, the victim was contacted by unknown people on WhatsApp on 18th October 2025. He was sent links and messages that told him if he invested money in cryptocurrency, he would gain returns. Police said that the returns promised were high, saying he would get a 30 to 40% return on investment per year. Lured by the proposal of making easy and quick money, the complainant Sutar invested Rs 33.96 lakh in total.

Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Police Inspector (Crime) Rushikesh Ghadge said, “The victim’s trust was gained as he was shown profits on his invested money. However, when he demanded his money back, the accused showed their true selves and stopped contact. Realising he was duped, he came to the police station on Saturday, and a case was registered at night.”

PI Ghadge further said that the investigation into the case is ongoing. The details of this case are being probed while cyber officials are looking at the bank accounts and are working towards tracing them.

Chinchwad Man Duped Of ₹97.70 Lakh In Share Market Scam

In a separate incident in the Chinchwad area, a 56-year-old man named Sunil Shripati Zende (56, Thergaon) was duped of a whopping Rs 97.70 lakh in a share trading scam. The incident happened from 13th September to 14th November 2025. A case has been registered against two people named Advika Sharma and Rakesh Jain, whose full details are currently unknown.  

The victim received a message on WhatsApp where the accused told him that investing in shares through them would result in more than 15% returns and asked him to download an application named RARCII. A profit was displayed on it, but whenever he tried to withdraw money, he couldn't. Realising he was duped, he complained to the Cyber Police Station on Friday, and Police Inspector Ravikiran Nale is investigating the matter further.