The police have registered a case against two individuals, residents of Pune and Goa, in connection with the scam, which reportedly occurred over the past two years, reported news agency PTI.
The accused convinced the 67-year-old former police officer, a resident of Kalyan in Maharashtra`s Thane district, and his friend, who is a doctor, to invest large sums in companies engaged in share trading, promising unusually high returns.
“The accused initially paid small returns to gain the victims` confidence, but gradually stopped all payouts. When the victims demanded their money back, the accused evaded calls and eventually went incommunicado,” an official from Khadakpada police station said, reported PTI.
The victims approached the police after repeated attempts to recover their investment failed. Based on their complaint, a detailed probe was initiated on November 21, but no arrest has been made so far, the official confirmed.
Investigators were examining bank transactions, investment documents and communication records to trace the money trail and determine whether more individuals were duped using the same modus operandi, as per PTI.
The police have registered a case against the two accused under Sections 420 (cheating) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors (MPID) Act, the official said.
Anganwadi job scam wipes out homemaker’s Rs 6.77 lakh
A 26-year-old Ghatkopar homemaker lost Rs 6.77 lakh in a Telegram task scam after responding to a social media ad for work-from-home Anganwadi jobs. The victim was forced to borrow heavily and pawn her and her mother`s jewellery to meet the fraudsters` demands.
The scam began on November 12 when she clicked a link, moving from WhatsApp to a Telegram channel. An alleged HR executive from an “NSI corporate office” made contact, initially assigning small rating tasks and showing fake profit screenshots (Rs180, Rs 200) to build trust.
Over the next four days, fraudsters, using names like Gatali Kaul, Harit Kumar, and Gurwinder Kaur, continuously assigned increasingly expensive payment tasks, promising high commissions. When her deposits increased, a purported finance department claimed profits would only be released after more transfers.
By November 15, with her task account allegedly locked, the victim pawned gold and transferred multiple amounts ranging from Rs 800 to Rs 50,000. She later realised she received only Rs 27,670 in profit while over Rs 6.7 lakh was stolen.
An official stated that during verification, the funds were found to be routed through 15 mule bank accounts across Manipur, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Telangana, pointing to a wide, organised network operating via WhatsApp and Telegram channels. The case has been registered under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and of the IT Act. Police are tracing the account handlers.
(With PTI inputs)
