Cyber fraud of Rs 1.62 crore from retired officer in Delhi, victim made in the name of crypto investment
In Delhi, cyber thugs made a retired government officer a victim of fraud of Rs 1.62 crore. The accused first won their trust by befriending them through WhatsApp and then made them invest their life savings in cryptocurrency on the pretext of huge profits. After the matter came to light, on the complaint of the victim, Delhi Police Special Cell has registered an FIR and started investigation. According to the information, the fraudsters built a close relationship with the victim through conversations on WhatsApp and induced him to invest money in an alleged crypto investment scheme. Initially their trust was won by assuring them good returns, after which a total investment of Rs 1.62 crore was made from them in different phases.
When the victim started asking questions related to withdrawing his money or investing, the accused cut off contact. According to the police, fearing that the secret would be revealed and a complaint would be lodged, the thugs also faked the death of the main female accused, so that the victim could be misled and the case would not proceed further. When the matter came to light, the victim complained to Delhi Police. The police are now trying to identify the accused and trace their network on the basis of bank transactions, digital records, WhatsApp chats and other electronic evidence.
In August last year, a retired Central Government official received a message on WhatsApp from a woman named ‘Shreya Sharma’. He introduced himself as a leather bag businessman from Jalandhar and started a conversation. Gradually, the two started chatting for hours every day, due to which the officer’s trust in him increased. During the conversation, the woman claimed to have earned huge profits from cryptocurrency trading and also inspired the officer to invest. Coming into his trust, the officer initially invested Rs 34 lakh. To strengthen the trust, the fraudsters also allowed the officer to withdraw a profit of Rs 3.30 lakh on the initial investment. This made them feel that the investment was completely safe and profitable. After this, in the greed of more profits, the officer also invested his entire savings.
58 lakhs cheated by pretending to be a fake ‘rich uncle’
Investigation revealed that when the retired government officer tried to withdraw his investment amount, his alleged trading account was blocked by cyber thugs. The accused claimed that to reactivate the account, the process of ‘money laundering verification’ will have to be completed. According to the police, the woman calling herself ‘Shreya’ got another Rs 70 lakh transferred from the victim on the same pretext. Despite this, when the amount was not returned, the swindlers prepared another new hoax. It is alleged that the woman made the victim talk to her alleged ‘rich uncle’ living in California. Through various pretexts and pressure, this person took the officer into confidence and got him to transfer another Rs 58 lakh.
False story of death created after extorting money
According to the police investigation, after defrauding the victim of crores of rupees, the cyber thugs created a new story to mislead him. It is alleged that the woman, who identified herself as ‘Shreya’, sent her last message to the officer claiming that she was suffering from a serious stomach ailment and was to undergo an endoscopy. After this his phone got switched off. A few days later, a man, who identified himself as the woman’s ‘uncle’, contacted the victim and said that her mother had taken her to America for treatment. After this, another member of the gang, posing as the woman’s mother, also talked to the officer, so that the story could be made credible.
According to the investigation, the very next day the accused called the victim and claimed that the woman had died. Police say that this alleged story could also be a part of a well-planned conspiracy to defraud. After this news the retired officer was deeply shocked. When the victim became suspicious about the entire incident, he complained about the matter to the police. At present the police is investigating the entire cyber fraud network on the basis of digital evidence, bank transactions and call records.
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