Police registered seven cheating cases involving frauds worth over ₹4.62 crore across the city on Wednesday. The frauds include cyber investment scams and bogus business deals.
In one case registered with the cyber police, unidentified persons duped an 82-year-old resident of over ₹1 crore in the name of forex trading. The fraudsters allegedly contacted the victim online and persuaded him to invest in a trading scheme promising high returns. They showed him fabricated profit dashboards to gain his confidence. After multiple transactions, the accused stopped all communication with the victim, prompting the victim to approach the police.
Another cheating case was registered at Vishrambaug police station, where a trader was allegedly duped of ₹2.4 crore. Here also, the accused induced the victim with substantial investment returns. .
In a similar case registered at the Deccan police station, Santosh Bhaskar Dolnar lodged a complaint against Pravin Shrimant Rathod of Uttamnagar, alleging Rathod cheated him out of ₹48 lakh in a bogus investment scheme.
Another investment fraud case, involving a fraudulent transaction of ₹49 lakh, was registered at the Vishrantwadi police station, naming Nitin Laxman Sable and Deepak Namdev Bhalerao as the accused.
Police also registered a cheating case at Bundgarden jurisdiction involving individuals who allegedly collected ₹11,54,000 as deposits with fake accommodation promises. According to police, the case highlights a recurring pattern of advance deposit frauds in the city, where victims are lured by attractive rental or service offers.
The sixth cheating case, involving a bogus government catering contract worth ₹11 lakh, was filed at the Hadapsar police station. Police said the accused promised the complainant a catering contract for a government institution and demanded money as security deposit, registration and processing charges. The complainant paid the amount but the deal never materialised and the accused did not return the money.
{{/usCountry}}The sixth cheating case, involving a bogus government catering contract worth ₹11 lakh, was filed at the Hadapsar police station. Police said the accused promised the complainant a catering contract for a government institution and demanded money as security deposit, registration and processing charges. The complainant paid the amount but the deal never materialised and the accused did not return the money.
{{/usCountry}}A seventh case involved an online investment fraud where the complainant was cheated of ₹20,491 through an online advertisement promising quick returns on a small investment. When the victim attempted to withdraw money, the fraudsters demanded additional money and subsequently blocked the account.
A police officer said the modus operandi in most cases involved building trust through online communication, personal contacts, or attractive business offers. The accused used fake investment platforms, forged documents, bogus contracts and fabricated profit screenshots to convince the victims to transfer money. In several instances, the funds were routed through multiple bank accounts to make tracking difficult.
Cybercrime sleuths have begun verifying the bank transactions to trace the financial trails. “All cases are under investigation, and further action will be taken after verification of evidence and identification of the accused persons,” said Ranjan Kumar Sharma, joint commissioner of police (law and order), Pune.