Navi Mumbai: A 62-year-old resident of Navi Mumbai has reportedly fallen victim to a cyber fraud, losing Rs 73.72 lakh after being lured into a gold trading scheme by a woman he met on a dating application, according to police sources on Monday.
The victim, who resides in the New Panvel area, was contacted by a woman identifying herself as Zia between March and May 2024, as reported by the news agency PTI. Their communication extended to WhatsApp, where she gradually convinced him to invest in a gold trading platform, promising high returns.
For three months, the man invested Rs 73.72 lakh into the scheme through a trading app suggested by the woman. However, when the expected returns were not credited to his account, he grew suspicious. After doing a lot of attempts and following up to contact the woman, but she became unreachable, officials from the Khandeshwar police station said.
The victim then approached the police, who, after a preliminary inquiry, registered a case on July 4 under Sections 420 (cheating) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, along with applicable sections of the Information Technology Act, according to the report. The Police are currently working to trace the accused and track digital footprints associated with the fraudulent transactions.
61-Year-Old Seawoods Man Loses ₹1.36 Crore in Fake Stock Market App Scam; Case Filed
In another news story, a 61-year-old man from Seawoods has lost Rs 1.36 crore after being duped by cyber fraudsters who made him invest in a fake stock market scheme through a fraudulent mobile app. The Navi Mumbai Cyber Police have registered a case under fraud and IT laws and are now trying to find the people behind the scam.
The scam came to light after the senior citizen filed a police complaint. He said he saw a Facebook advertisement about stock market investments in February this year. When he clicked on the link and shared his details, he was added to a WhatsApp group.
