Pune: A 73-year-old man became the latest victim of a share trading fraud, losing Rs 2.32 crore to cybercrooks between May and July this year.He initially filed an online complaint with the cyber police. Following a preliminary inquiry, the Pune cyber police registered a case.A Pune cyber police officer said the complainant runs a pharma consultancy and a real estate business. In May, he came across an advertisement with Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s photograph for a stock trading firm on social media.“After clicking on the advertisement, he received a call from an unknown mobile number. The caller assured him of good returns on his investments through their firm and shared a link to download a trading app,” the officer said.The complainant initially transferred Rs11 lakh to a bank account provided by the fraudsters. The crooks later transferred Rs74,000 to his bank account, gaining his confidence.“Till July 30, the complainant transferred Rs 2.32 crore to different bank accounts. The app showed that he had earned a profit of Rs 6 crore on his investment,” the officer said.The officer said when the complainant tried to withdraw this money, the fraudsters demanded an additional Rs 2.5 crore. The elderly man then realised that he had been duped and stopped responding to the callers.“Prima facie investigation revealed that the complainant’s money was transferred to different bank accounts in Vadodara in Gujarat, Hyderabad in Telangana and Pune. We have sought details of these bank accounts,” the officer said.
