Udupi— A local resident, Ajith Kumar, has fallen victim to an elaborate online stock market scam, losing a staggering ₹68.3 lakh in just under two weeks.
According to the complaint filed with the Cyber, Economic, and Narcotics (CEN) police station, Kumar was lured into a fraudulent investment scheme via a WhatsApp group titled ‘372 SCBI Investing Lab’. Unknown individuals, posing as financial experts, added him to the group and sent repeated messages promising high returns through stock market investments.
Trusting their claims, Ajith transferred funds totalling ₹68,30,000 between June 12 and June 23 through NEFT and RTGS transactions to multiple bank accounts provided by the scammers.
However, after transferring the amount, he neither received the promised profits nor was able to recover the invested money. Realizing he had been defrauded, he approached the authorities.
The CEN police have registered a case and launched an investigation to track the culprits and trace the funds. Cybercrime experts believe this incident may be part of a larger pan-India scam targeting individuals through messaging apps with fake investment offers.
Authorities are urging the public to exercise extreme caution when approached with unsolicited investment opportunities, especially through social media or chat platforms.