53-year-old MMRDA official loses ₹1.69 crore in share trading cyber fraud via WhatsApp and HSSSPMA platform after being lured by Facebook ad posing as global bank

Summary

A 53-year-old senior MMRDA official lost Rs 1.69 crore in a share trading cyber fraud. The victim, who was posted as Revenue and Sub-Land Manager, was lured into the scam through a Facebook advertisement that appeared to represent a global bank. On January 30, he was contacted via WhatsApp by someone claiming to be an assistant named Priya Sharma and was added to a group titled “G510 Opportunity Creator.” Over weeks, he was encouraged to invest in fake trading options like IPOs and Super Circuits through a platform called HSSSPMA, where his virtual account showed a profit of Rs 9.91 crore. When he attempted to withdraw funds, he was asked to pay an “Economic Service Fee” of Rs 1.45 crore, and after initiating withdrawals of Rs 90 lakh and Rs 9 crore, he realized no money was credited to his IndusInd Bank account. The victim lodged a complaint with the Nodal Cyber Police Station, Maharashtra Cyber, and an FIR was registered.