Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Official of a pharmaceutical company was duped of Rs 50.45 lakh by fraudsters on pretext of online share trading. Bagsewania police have initiated an investigation in the case after registering an FIR on Tuesday.
According to reports, Umesh, a production officer at Lupin Factory in Mandideep was duped through an online trading platform called “Verger App.” The officer reportedly invested the amount after being lured with promises of high returns.
Assistant sub-inspector Manoj Sharma said on August 1, 2025, Umesh received a WhatsApp message from a woman named Anu Sharma, who introduced herself as a member of a Qualified Institutional Buyer (QIB) group and encouraged him to invest in online trading.
Later, a person named Angie Jones asked him to download the Verger App and open an account. Initially Umesh saw small profits displayed on the app which raised his confidence as well as hope. Then he was advised to invest in IPOs through the same platform.
The officer transferred over Rs 50 lakh to various accounts including Rs 38 lakh to a company called Bowl Kitchen Pvt. Ltd. When he tried to withdraw his funds, he was told to deposit Rs 37 lakh as tax before withdrawal could be processed. He was further threatened with a penalty of Rs 7.5 crore if he failed to pay the amount.
Acting on the officer’s complaint, Bagsewania police have registered a case of cheating and fraud along with IT Act against Harsh Namdev, Anu Sharma, Angie Jones, and the operators of Verger App.
[Story by Staff Reporter]
