Chandigarh resident loses over Rs 16L in investment fraud via Telegram

A city resident was allegedly duped of more than Rs 16.45 lakh by a gang of cybercriminals via messaging apps Telegram and WhatsApp.

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In a complaint to the police, Abhishek Jain of Sector 22-C, stated that the fraud began in May this year when a woman claiming to be a receptionist of a freelance company contacted him on WhatsApp. She offered him small tasks such as posting Google reviews in exchange for Rs 100 to Rs 200 per post. The complainant completed several such assignments and was paid promptly, which instilled confidence in the platform. Later, the woman introduced him to a new scheme promising high returns through structured investments. He was invited to join multiple Telegram channels and accounts.

Initially, Jain made small investments of Rs 100 to Rs 200 and received regular returns. The trust thus built led him to invest much larger sums. Over a span of several weeks, he transferred over Rs 16 lakh through RTGS, IMPS, and UPI into various bank accounts provided by the accused.

Despite investing large sums, Jain received only Rs 43,452 in return. The accused used a carefully structured withdrawal process to mislead him into believing he could access his full funds. The three-step process involved withdrawing a small test amount, followed by 3% of the remaining balance, and finally the full payout. While the first two steps succeeded each time, the third — full withdrawal — was never honoured. Instead, he was repeatedly asked to invest more money under the guise of unlocking the payout, which he eventually realised was part of an elaborate scam.

Based on the contents of the complaint and the evidence submitted, a case under Sections 318(4), 319(2), 336(3), 338, 340(2) and 61(2), which cover offences related to cheating, organised cybercrime and fraudulent financial activity, of the Bharatiaya Nyaya Sanhita was registered at the cybercrime police station on Tuesday.

The police have started an investigation to nab the online scamsters.