Pune: A 57-year-old businessman from Talegaon Dabhade was allegedly cheated of Rs 23 lakh by cybercrooks who lured him into a fake share trading scheme, promising returns of 30% on his investments.The fraud took place between Aug and Sept this year. The businessman lodged a complaint with the Talegaon Dabhade police on Thursday.According to a police officer, the complainant came across an online advertisement for a share trading firm. After clicking on it, he received a call from an unknown woman who promised him 30% returns on stock investments and sent him a link to download the firm’s trading mobile application.Following her instructions, the businessman transferred Rs 23 lakh to multiple bank accounts. The app subsequently showed that his investments had generated a profit of Rs 1 crore. However, when he tried to withdraw the amount, he was told to pay Rs 13 lakh in “tax”.“The complainant became suspicious and started following up with the woman for his money. The woman threatened to report him to the income tax department if he didn’t pay the ‘tax’ and implicate him in a money-laundering case,” the officer said.The businessman realised he was being cheated and approached the police. “We have sought details of the transactions from the complainant’s bank,” the officer said.
