77-year-old Ahmedabad retiree loses ₹35.75 lakh to fake securities WhatsApp investment scam

Summary

A 77-year-old retired resident of Bodakdev, Ahmedabad, lost Rs 35.75 lakh in an online investment fraud. The victim received a WhatsApp message in July from an unknown number claiming to represent a reputable securities group and was lured with promises of high returns. He was directed to a fake trading platform and asked to deposit money into multiple accounts through several transactions. Over weeks, he made seven deposits totaling Rs 29.75 lakh and four additional transactions of Rs 6 lakh. After initial small refunds, he was unable to withdraw funds and found the contact unreachable, realizing he had been scammed. The Cyber Crime Police Station filed an FIR under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act, and is tracing the digital trail of the transactions.