E-Paper
Ludhiana: 4 lose ₹34 lakh to cyber fraudsters in Khanna
A Khanna-based couple and two others have lost ₹34.51 lakh to cyber fraudsters who lured them into investing through mobile apps and came up with fraudulent online job offers. The cyber crime police station of Khanna has lodged four separate FIRs.
A Khanna-based couple and two others have lost ₹34.51 lakh to cyber fraudsters who lured them into investing through mobile apps and came up with fraudulent online job offers. The cyber crime police station of Khanna has lodged four separate FIRs.
In the first case, Rakesh Kumar Ghai, an accountant from Model Town, Khanna, reported losing ₹10 lakh after downloading a fraudulent investment app. According to Ghai’s statement to the police, he came across an advertisement for the IIFL Securities CS mobile app on Instagram on July 2. After clicking an online link, the app was installed on his phone. The app provided stock market tips and claimed to double investments. Ghai linked his bank account and invested ₹10 lakh, only to find that the app stopped working after a few days.
In a separate but similar complaint, Bharti Ghai, wife of Rakesh Kumar Ghai, a private schoolteacher, lost ₹7.09 lakh. She told the police that she saw an advertisement on Instagram promoting an investment app that promised “double profits.” After installing the app and investing ₹9.59 lakh, she received ₹2.50 lakh as reward but she was unable to recover ₹7.09 lakh when the app became non-functional.
In another case, Raman Kumar, a distributor for a mobile sevice providing company from Machhiwara Kham village, lost ₹12.42 lakh after receiving a message on Telegram from a user named “Maha Laxmi”. Kumar told the police that the “fraudster” introduced him to an online job, promising him returns for sharing posts. Trusting the offer, he transferred ₹12.42 lakh to various account numbers provided by the scammer. Despite the promises, he never received any commission or return.
In the fourth case, Dhanjit Kaur of Kishanpura village reported that she lost ₹5 lakh to a job scamster. In September, she received a WhatsApp message from someone posing as a representative of ‘Amazon Shopping Malls’ offering high-paying jobs. The scammers promised a daily salary ranging from ₹4,000 to ₹20,000. Kaur transferred ₹200 as instructed, expecting an offer letter. However, she later discovered that ₹5 lakh had been stolen from her account in multiple transactions.
Inspector Hemant Kumar, SHO, cyber crime police station, Khanna, said all four cases have been registered under Section 318 of the BNS and Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act. The police are investigating the cases. At the same time, the police have urged the people to be cautious of online offers.
