Cybercriminals Dupe Jharkhand Resident of ₹1.53 Crore in Investment Scam; Perpetrators Apprehended

A citizen of Jharkhand was defrauded of ₹1.53 crore in a sophisticated cybercrime scheme that promised high returns on investments. The incident highlights the growing threat of cyber fraud in India. The victim received a WhatsApp message offering lucrative investment opportunities and was subsequently directed to online links where the fraud was executed. The police investigation, led by the Ranchi CID Cyber Crime Police Station, resulted in the arrest of Aira Lakshma Reddy from Telangana and Mohammad Asif from Uttar Pradesh. The fraudsters instructed the victim to deposit money into various bank accounts. Furthermore, the investigation revealed that a specific IDFC First Bank account, used by the criminals, received ₹58 lakh within a short span of two days. The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal of the Ministry of Home Affairs shows that this account is linked to 11 different cases across several states, including Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Telangana, and Jharkhand. The Jharkhand CID has issued a public advisory, urging people to be cautious of investment scams on social media, avoid clicking suspicious links, and only invest after proper verification. They also encouraged anyone who falls victim to cybercrime to report the incident through the cyber helpline or the designated government website.