E-Paper
Chandigarh: Elderly bizman loses ₹6.12 lakh to Facebook friend
According to the complaint, the scam began in August 2024 when complainant was contacted on Facebook by a woman identifying herself as Sanjana Malhotra; the woman allegedly gained his trust and introduced him to an online currency trading platform named Webull
A 62-year-old pharma businessman from Chandigarh has lost ₹6.12 lakh in an online forex trading scam allegedly orchestrated by a woman he met on Facebook
The cyber police station, Sector 17, has registered an FIR against an unidentified accused based on the complaint of Raman Kumar Soni, proprietor of Neelkanth Enterprises located in Sector 45, Burail.
According to Soni’s complaint, the scam began in August 2024 when he was contacted on Facebook by a woman identifying herself as Sanjana Malhotra. The woman allegedly gained his trust and introduced him to an online currency trading platform named Webull. She also shared a US-based WhatsApp number for further communication and claimed that her uncle was associated with the company.
Soni said he transferred ₹6.12 lakh to five different bank accounts spread across Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh between September and October 2024. Initially, he was shown gains of 10% on his investments. Later, Sanjana urged him to invest an additional ₹3.88 lakh, pressuring him to raise the total to ₹10 lakh in exchange for higher returns.
“When I told her I could not arrange additional money, she stopped responding to my calls and blocked my number,” Soni said.
The case has been registered under Sections 319(2), 318(4), 338, 336(3), 340(2), and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police said a probe was on.
