Mumbai: In a shocking case of cyber fraud, a 58-year-old retired employee of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) was duped of ₹2.64 crore by fraudsters who promised high returns through stock market investments. The victim, Adil Parsi, a resident of Navroz Baug in Lalbaug, has filed a complaint with the Central Region Cyber Police Station, which has registered a case against two unidentified individuals.
Victim Lured Through Facebook Ads
According to the complaint, Parsi had been actively trading in the stock market for the past five years. On June 10, while scrolling through Facebook, he came across an advertisement from a company named Kuvera Finance. Upon clicking the link, he was added to a WhatsApp group titled Kuvera Appa Club, where stock-related discussions were taking place.
False Promises of High Returns
The group admin, a woman identifying herself as Rutuja Lad, claimed to be a manager at Kuvera Finance and promised high returns on investments. She provided a link to open a "TED" account, which Parsi followed. Another person in the group, Neelabh Sanyal, offered investment advice. Believing their claims, Parsi invested ₹56.20 lakh between June 11 and July 28. His app displayed increasing profits, further convincing him of the scheme’s authenticity.
Second Scam Under Guise of Mutual Fund Managers
Encouraged by the apparent success, Parsi later clicked on another Facebook ad labeled NJP and was added to a new WhatsApp group named UTI Capital Storm. There, he interacted with individuals identifying themselves as Sanya Kapoor and Imtiazur Rahman, who claimed to be managers with UTI Mutual Fund. On their advice, he invested an additional ₹2.07 crore between June 16 and July 9.
Realisation and Police Complaint
On July 29, when Parsi attempted to withdraw his funds, he was told to first pay a 5% fee on the accumulated amount. He received no further response from the second group. Realizing he had been duped, Parsi approached the Central Region Cyber Police and lodged a complaint. An investigation is currently underway.
