Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Despite repeated advisories issued by cyber cops and awareness campaigns, cyber criminals are striking at will. In a fresh case, a 61-year-old retired manager of a nationalized bank was duped of Rs 57 lakh by cyber fraudsters on pretext of high returns in share market investment.
A case was registered in this connection at Misrod police station on Saturday.
The victim identified as Pankaj Srivastava is a resident of Salaiya locality and is a retired manager of a nationalised bank. Srivastava informed police that in December last year, he received a mobile number for share trading through an acquaintance.
He called on the number and the unidentified man claimed to be associated with online share trading promised him high returns. Shrivastava was asked to download an App for opening two online accounts - one for investment deposits and another that would display profits.
Over the time, Srivastav transferred Rs 57 lakh into the account in a series of instalments. However, after his balance was exhausted, he noticed that that both accounts showed zero balance.
When he attempted to contact the mobile numbers used earlier, they were found switched off. Realising that he has been duped, Srivastava approached the cybercrime branch, where a zero FIR was registered and case was transferred to Misrod police station.
Misrod police station incharge Ratanlal Singh Parihar said efforts were underway to trace the accused based on mobile numbers and bank transaction details.
Modus operandi
The fraudsters assured Srivastava that his money would be invested only in high-profit companies and claimed that higher investment would result in greater returns. Trusting the assurances, Srivastava began transferring money into the investment account. Simultaneously, the second account showed increasing balances reflecting both investment and profits, which further boosted his confidence.
