A 40-year-old doctor from Kompally, Hyderabad, has fallen victim to a massive cyber fraud, losing a staggering Rs 4.7 crore in a sophisticated stock investment scam orchestrated through the messaging app Telegram. The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) has officially registered a case and launched an investigation.
The Modus Operandi: A Web of Deceit on Telegram
The ordeal began on August 8, 2025, when the doctor was first contacted on Telegram by an account named ‘H_Hantec_Markets_CS’. The fraudster, who identified himself as Sunil, presented himself as a stock market expert. He lured the victim with promises of substantial profits through weekly trading on a specific platform, https://m.hantecmarketsdus.cc, every Monday and Friday.
Persuaded by the initial pitch, the doctor made his first investment of Rs 50,000 on August 15. The money was transferred to a Bandhan Bank account held in the name of ‘MS Kalyani Mahila Gramin Bigar’. To build false trust, the scammers manipulated his trading dashboard to show a 5% profit. Seeing this fabricated gain, the victim was then aggressively persuaded to increase his investments significantly.
The Massive Financial Drain: 46 Transactions to Fake Firms
Over the course of the next 60 days, the doctor was systematically drained of his funds. He transferred a total of Rs 4.7 crore through a complex web of 46 online transactions and six cash deposits. The money was routed to 24 different current accounts held in the names of various dummy companies. These entities were disguised as logistics firms, travel agencies, dairy businesses, garment traders, and other commercial operations to avoid detection.
The scam unraveled in November 2025. After managing to withdraw a mere Rs 1 lakh, the fraudsters abruptly blocked all further payout requests. They demanded additional deposits, this time under the false pretext of covering taxes. This demand finally made the victim realize he had been ensnared in an elaborate scam.
Legal Action and Ongoing Investigation
The doctor filed a formal online complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal on January 5. The following day, January 6, he submitted detailed bank records to the TGCSB investigators. Acting on his complaint, the TGCSB headquarters team registered a formal case.
The case has been filed under stringent sections of cyber and criminal law. These include Section 66-D of the Information Technology Act (punishment for cheating by personation using a computer resource). Additionally, sections from the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) have been invoked: Section 318(4) for cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property, Section 319(2) for cheating by personation, and Section 338 for forgery of a valuable security.
The TGCSB team is currently analyzing the intricate trail of bank transactions provided by the victim. Their primary objective is to identify the individuals behind the scam and proceed with their arrest. This case highlights the increasing sophistication of financial frauds targeting professionals through social media and messaging platforms.
