E-Paper
Panchkula: BSNL official loses ₹33 lakh to cyber fraudsters
Upon checking the Mumbai address provided in his “agreement” documents, the victim discovered that no such company existed of which he had purchased shares
An assistant general manager (AGM) of BSNL fell victim to cyber fraudsters’ online investment scheme, resulting in a loss of ₹33.56 lakh, police said on Wednesday. Identified as Hussain Ahmad, 54, a resident of Sector 16 in Panchkula, the victim had taken ₹30 lakh as loan to pay to the fraudsters.
In his police complaint, Ahmad mentioned that he received WhatsApp messages from two unknown mobile numbers in March. The sender, identifying herself as Meena Joshi, claimed that she was a share market consultant’s assistant, associated with a Mumbai firm — Ratefin Investment Limited. She assured him of up to 300% profit in trading. Ahmad was subsequently added to a WhatsApp group named “Ratefin tutorial L 11” which had 90 members and two administrators. The group frequently shared links to the Ratefin Investment website that featured lectures by someone, along with a SEBI registration number. Stock recommendations and investment tips were also provided which Ahmad followed to purchase shares.
On April 1, a new group (Wealth Revival Group) was formed with 45 members where administrators said they wanted to launch a mutual fund but initially focusing on gaining stock market profits under a wealth revival plan for investors. They also advertised a new link-based app where users could create accounts to recover lost money in the share market. Ahmad sold stocks worth ₹4 lakh and also took ₹30 lakh as loan to invest in the fraudsters’ scheme.
Later, when Ahmad sought withdrawal, he was told to fill a form. He did so on April 4 and 5. Ahmad applied for his total withdrawal of ₹85.67 lakh (including profit), but eventually the fraudsters stopped replying to him. His attempts to contact other group members were unsuccessful.
Upon checking the Mumbai address provided in his “agreement” documents, Ahmad discovered that no such company existed there. The cyber crime police station has registered a case under Sections 318(4), 319, 336(3), 338, 340 and 61 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
