Key accused in Rs 1.6-cr cyber fraud cases lands in Chandigarh police net

The cybercrime police station here has arrested a 28-year-old man, identified as Deepak, from Jhajjar, Haryana, in connection with two major online investment frauds. The victims, both local residents, had lost over Rs 1.6 crore.

The FIR was registered in May on a complaint filed by a city resident, who, along with his wife, was duped of Rs 1.4 crore through fake trading websites – gomcz.com and wuihdjh.com. They were lured via a WhatsApp group named “W6 Stock Uptrend Club”, where the fraudsters impersonated JM Financial representatives and convinced them to open Portfolio Management Service accounts. Initial small profits were shown to build trust before withdrawals were blocked. Large sums were routed through multiple accounts, including one belonging to M/s Mavona Logistics Services, before being diverted to Deepak’s Kotak Mahindra Bank account. The police arrested him in Jhajjar on August 28.

The other case was registered in July. The victim, after clicking a YouTube pop-up advertisement, was added to a WhatsApp group featuring fake investment lectures, quizzes and fabricated success stories. The fraudsters persuaded him into transferring Rs 26.5 lakh into various accounts, including Deepak’s Axis Bank account. When he sought withdrawals, he was threatened with legal consequences.