Udupi: In yet another instance highlighting the growing menace of cyber fraud, a 69-year-old man from Udupi lost an astonishing ₹1,32,90,000 after falling prey to an online investment scam. The case, registered at the Cyber Economic and Narcotics (CEN) Police Station, has sent shockwaves across the district, drawing attention to the scale of fraudulent trading platforms luring unsuspecting citizens.
Investment ad on Facebook leads to massive loss
According to police, the victim, Henry D’Almeida (69), a resident of Udupi, came across an advertisement for investment trading on Facebook on July 19. Upon clicking the link, he was redirected to a website identified as https://in.bobcaps-qib.com/ Soon after, he received a WhatsApp message from a woman identifying herself as Ankita Ghosh, who convinced him to open a QIB account.
D’Almeida was added to a WhatsApp group named 725 BOB CAPS, where members posing as financial experts assured him of extraordinary returns on investments. Trusting the group’s credibility, he contacted their so-called customer care on WhatsApp, who shared multiple bank account numbers and urged him to make deposits.
Between July 22 and September 1, D’Almeida transferred ₹1,32,90,000 in several instalments. However, neither his principal amount nor the promised returns were credited back. It was then that he realised he had been duped and approached the Udupi CEN police.
Police register case under IT Act and BNS
Based on his complaint, police registered a case under sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, along with section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property. Investigators are now working to trace the bank accounts and identify the fraudsters behind the scam.
Authorities have also warned residents against trusting advertisements on social media and urged them to verify the legitimacy of trading platforms through official financial regulatory bodies before investing.
Fraudulent withdrawals in Shirva
In a separate case reported from Shirva, a 54-year-old man lost nearly ₹79,500 through fraudulent bank withdrawals.
The complainant, Antony Richard Vaz, told police that since August 30, he had been receiving suspicious SMS alerts containing Aadhaar OTPs and UPI password reset requests. He also got a WhatsApp message from an unknown number, which he ignored.
Later, Vaz noticed that an APK file had been downloaded to his phone without his knowledge, which he promptly uninstalled. However, on September 3 around 12:40 pm, he received a message that money had been debited from his account. Upon checking, he discovered that ₹74,500 had been withdrawn from one account and ₹5,000 from another, totalling ₹79,500.
He alleged that fraudsters used OTPs to register UPI access on his behalf and transferred the funds without his consent. Following his complaint, Shirva Police registered a case under section 66(C) of the IT Act.
Rise in cybercrime in coastal Karnataka
Cybercrime cases have been on the rise in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada, with fraudsters increasingly targeting elderly citizens and individuals unfamiliar with online security practices. Police have repeatedly advised the public to avoid clicking suspicious links, downloading unknown applications, or sharing personal information and OTPs with strangers.
District police officials have urged residents to report suspicious financial activity immediately through the 1930 cyber helpline number and to make use of the Cyber Crime Portal (cybercrime.gov.in) for quicker redressal.
Conclusion
The two cases once again underline the sophisticated methods deployed by cybercriminals and the urgent need for heightened digital literacy among the public. While law enforcement agencies continue their efforts to track down the perpetrators, citizens have been reminded that vigilance remains the most effective safeguard against cyber fraud.