Mumbai: In a shocking incident, a 44-year-old man from Chandivali, Mumbai, lost Rs 40 lakh in just 19 days after he was cheated by a woman he met on Facebook. The accused, who introduced herself as Priya Kumari, claimed to be a fashion designer from Gurgaon, Delhi.
The incident occurred on May 14, when the victim received a friend request from the accused Priya Kumari, whose profile picture and bio caught his attention. After accepting the request, she began chatting with him on Facebook Messenger and soon shared her WhatsApp number, as reported by Loksatta. Their conversation shifted to WhatsApp, where she began offering him tips on stock market investments.
At first, the victim verified the tips she gave and found them accurate, which made him trust her. Priya then shared a link to a website and asked him to register. Around the same time, another woman named Ritika Sharma contacted him and added him to a Telegram group, guiding him on how to invest.
Following their instructions, the victim downloaded an app and began investing in stocks and IPOs. In total, he invested Rs 39.57 lakh. Later in the application, the victim was shown the profit of the Rs 90 lakh. But when he tried to withdraw the money, he was told he would have to pay a huge tax amount first, according to report.
Later, the victim tried to contact both Priya Kumari and Ritika Sharma, but they were unreachable as their phones were switched off. The victim then realised that the website and app were fake.
As per the report, the victim immediately approached the Cyber Police Station and filed a complaint. The police have now registered a case under Section 66(d) of the Information Technology Act, and several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 318(4), 319(2), 336(2), 336(3), 338, 340(2), and 61(2).
