Rajkot: A 46-year-old ceramic tiles businessman from Morbi was allegedly duped of Rs 1.54 crore in a fake IPO investment scheme by cyberfraudsters who lured him through WhatsApp and a mobile application.The businessman lodged a complaint at the Morbi cybercrime police station against holders of several bank accounts, users of multiple mobile numbers and others who may be identified during the investigation. Police have registered a case under sections of BNS, along with relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act.According to the complaint, the businessman received a WhatsApp call from an unknown number on July 5. A woman caller, who identified herself as Ananya Srinivasan, allegedly claimed that she could help him earn high returns by investing in upcoming initial public offerings (IPOs).After the businessman expressed interest, the woman allegedly persuaded him to download an application called ‘EXSECMAX’ and added him to a WhatsApp group named ‘16 Wealth Growth Community’. The application showed apparent profits on his investments, leading him to believe that the scheme was genuine.Following instructions from the accused, the businessman transferred money to several bank accounts between July 25 and Aug 5. In all, he transferred Rs 1.58 crore. The fraudsters subsequently returned Rs 4 lakh in two instalments.When the remaining Rs 1.54 crore was not returned, the businessman realised that he had been cheated and approached the cybercrime police.Police suspect that several individuals acted in collusion as part of a criminal conspiracy to defraud victims on the pretext of IPO investments. Investigators are tracing the bank accounts, mobile numbers and financial transactions mentioned in the complaint to identify the accused and ascertain the flow of the money.
