Mumbai News: 62-year-old Thane woman falls prey to cybercrime; loses Rs.1.5 crores

Indians have cumulatively lost ₹1,750 crores due to cyber fraud in the first four months of 2024 as per I4C.

Date: July 1, 2024

Yet another incident of cyber fraud has come to the fore where a senior citizen lost a whopping amount of ₹1.5 crores after being lured with ‘high returns’ on investments.

The victim has been identified as a 62-year-old woman from Thane’s Kavesar area.

According to a police report, the accused provided the woman with links and added her to a WhatsApp group. After gaining her trust, they convinced her to invest a total of ₹1,45,35,6000 in the pretext of a higher return on investment (ROI).

Later, when the woman did not get any returns on her money even after following up with the accused, she approached the Kasarvadavli police station.

While the definite time period of the crime was not available in the preliminary reports, the officials stated that she was in touch with the accused between April and June.

Police have filed FIR against seven persons, identified as Ushma Shah, Sunita Kumari, Abhijit Gandhi, Vivek Patel, Ketan Marwadi, Juni V Patel, and Naresh Kumar D Jadeja, the officials added. They have been booked under provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the IT Act. A further investigation is ongoing.

However, this case has highlighted the necessity of vigilance and a verified regulatory compliance in investment opportunities.

It is pertinent to note that Indians have cumulatively lost ₹1,750 crores due to cyber fraud in the first four months of 2024, according to the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C). I4C is an official body under the Union Home Ministry.