Palghar: Nalasopara Police have registered a case of cheating and fraud involving Rs. 99.69 lakh after an insurance agent alleged that he was duped by a group of individuals who lured him into investing in a fake cryptocurrency scheme.
Accused Claimed to Represent SEBI and RBI-Registered Crypto Firm
The complainant, Devan Shrilakshmichandra Verma (30), a resident of Nalasopara West and an insurance agent by profession, stated that the accused l, Akash Rana, approached him between August 6, 2020, and the present claiming to represent Neblio Technologies Pvt. Ltd. The accused allegedly assured him that the company was India’s only SEBI and RBI-registered cryptocurrency firm and promised returns of two to three times within a year on investments made in cryptocurrencies such as Zelix, Berry, Monero (XMR), Peipei, ARRDAO (AMB), Terra and Luna.
According to the complaint, the accused further promised VIP customer status for investments exceeding ₹50 lakh and claimed that the company would manage all trading activities on the investor’s behalf. To gain the complainant’s trust, fake company documents were allegedly sent to him via WhatsApp.
Nearly ₹1 Crore Transferred via UPI to Multiple Accounts
Believing their assurances, Verma transferred a total of ₹99,69,334 from his HDFC Bank account to multiple UPI IDs and numbers shared by the accused, primarily Rana and Rahul Agrawal. Later, the complainant was informed that his investment had grown to ₹1.5 crore, but he would need to pay 30 per cent tax to withdraw the amount. On this pretext, the accused allegedly collected an additional ₹35 lakh in cash.
When Verma demanded the return of his investment, the accused allegedly evaded him and failed to refund any amount, prompting him to approach the police.
Based on the complaint, Nalasopara Police Station registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The accused have been identified as Sumit Gupta, Neeraj Khandewal, Rohit Jain, Gaurav Arora, Mridul, Akash Rana and Rahul Agrawal.
No arrests have been made so far, and a search is underway to trace the accused. Police said further investigation is in progress.
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