Delhi Police has cracked down on a sophisticated cyber fraud operation, arresting two individuals from Haryana for allegedly swindling a Delhi-based doctor of a staggering Rs 22.7 lakh through a counterfeit stock trading application. The arrests shed light on a growing menace of investment scams proliferating on social media.
The Modus Operandi: From Social Media to Financial Ruin
The case unraveled after the victim, a doctor, filed an online complaint on November 13. According to police, she was added to a group where administrators posed as expert stock traders. Discussions centered on lucrative Demat share investment opportunities. One administrator, identifying as Yalini Guna, gained the complainant's trust and persuaded her to invest via a link to a fake trading app.
Initially, the doctor invested Rs 2.7 lakh in multiple transactions. To build credibility, the fraudsters showed small, fake profits. When she attempted to withdraw funds, they pressured her with various pretexts to invest more capital. Over time, her total investment ballooned to Rs 22.7 lakh. The final blow came when she was abruptly blocked from the application, realizing she had been thoroughly defrauded.
Police Investigation and Arrests
Following the registration of a case, a dedicated police team was formed. DCP (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam stated that investigators traced the money trail, discovering a portion of the stolen amount was transferred to a bank account held by Sameer (22), a resident of Hisar, Haryana. Analysis of Call Detail Records (CDRs) pointed to more suspects.
On November 10, a raid was conducted in Hisar, leading to the apprehension of Sameer and his associate, Dev Singh (22). During interrogation, Sameer confessed to opening 5 to 6 bank accounts in different banks and handing them over to Dev Singh for a mere Rs 4,000 per account. These accounts were then used to route the illicit funds from the scam. Police seized 2 mobile phones and 3 SIM cards from the accused, who were subsequently sent to judicial custody.
A Warning for Potential Investors
Police revealed that the accused systematically targeted victims on social media platforms by masquerading as financial experts. The lure was the promise of guaranteed high returns on stock market investments. The strategy involved showing initial, small profits to foster trust, then coercing victims into investing larger sums. Once maximum money was extracted, the fraudsters would block all communication and vanish.
This case serves as a critical reminder for the public to exercise extreme caution with unsolicited investment advice online, especially through unverified applications and social media groups promising unrealistic returns.
