Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A private bank official in Bhopal lost Rs 27.55 lakh to cyber fraudsters who lured him into a fake cryptocurrency investment scheme by promising hefty returns and displaying a fake trading balance of Rs 47 lakh, Jahangirabad police said on Monday.
According to police, the victim, Punit Tiwari, a resident of the Police Line area near the Police Training and Research Institute (PTRI) and an employee of a private bank, came across a Facebook advertisement on May 25 promoting a cryptocurrency investment platform named "Luno Money Bag".
After contacting the firm, he was assured of high profits and was persuaded to start trading.
Police station in-charge Rajan Singh Ahirwar said that the fraudsters created an online trading dashboard that showed his investment growing rapidly.
However, when Tiwari attempted to withdraw his earnings after two trading sessions, he was told that withdrawals were allowed only after completing 10 trades.
They also demanded a 30% commission on every successful trade, directing him to transfer the amount from his personal bank account, Ahirwar said.
Believing the profits displayed on the platform were genuine, Tiwari continued making commission payments in multiple instalments.
By the time the dashboard reflected a balance of Rs 47 lakh, he had transferred Rs 27.55 lakh to the fraudsters.
Ahirwar further said that when Tiwari insisted on withdrawing the money, the suspects blocked his trading account and mobile number, leaving him unable to recover either his investment or the promised returns.
