Mira Bhayandar: A 60-year-old businessman from Mira Road who runs a printing equipment repairing shop in Borivali became the latest target of cyber-criminals who cheated him of more than Rs.22 lakh under the guise of providing tips to earn profits in stock trading.
In his statement to the police, the complainant who stays in the Poonam Sagar area said that he received a link on his WhatsApp number inviting him to be a member of a community group related to stock trading. Upon clicking the link, he was added to a group comprising 54 members who regularly interacted on various stocks and the profits they had reaped from investments.
The complainant transferred a total of Rs. 22.60 lakh through six online transactions to specified bank accounts within a period of two months. Though he could see his profits soaring to a whopping Rs.1.80 crore on the online trading application platform, he was neither able to withdraw his investment nor profit.
After seeking a clarification from the group admin, he was asked to transfer Rs. 15 lakh towards 15 percent commission to withdraw Rs. 1 crore. When he expressed her inability to pump more funds he was removed from the group, following which he approached the Naya Nagar police station.
An offence under the relevant sections of the IPC and Information Technology Act-2000 has been registered against the cybercrooks including the group admin and the account holders. Further investigations were underway.
