In a shocking case of cyber fraud, unidentified scammers duped a 63-year-old retired Air Force Commander of ₹1.45 crore under the pretext of high returns on share market investments. The incident came to light in the Powai area, following which the West Region Cyber police have registered a case under relevant sections of fraud and the IT Act.
According to police, the complainant, a resident of Powai, retired as an Air Commander from the Indian Air Force in July 2011. After retirement, he took up a job as a commercial pilot in a private aviation company. In January 2025, while checking messages on WhatsApp at home, he was added to a WhatsApp group that provided daily updates on the share market. Several members were part of this group, which seemed to offer investment guidance.
Driven by curiosity, he sought more information about stock market investments. The group admin, identified as Harris Singh, along with his customer service manager Arun, convinced him of profitable returns and provided a link for investment. The complainant followed the link, created a user ID and password, and was then encouraged to transfer money to different bank accounts for stock purchases.
Between January 13 and January 27, 2025, he transferred a total of ₹1.45 crore to various accounts. After the investment, the fraudsters falsely informed him that his portfolio had grown to ₹8 crore. However, when he attempted to withdraw a portion of the profits, he found himself unable to transfer the money to his bank account.
Upon contacting Harris Singh and Arun for clarification, they gave multiple excuses and delayed the withdrawal process. Eventually, they removed him from the WhatsApp group and stopped responding to his queries. Realizing he had been defrauded, the complainant immediately approached the local police and the West Region Cyber Police at BKC, following which a case was registered against the unidentified cyber criminals.
The Cyber Cell police have launched an investigation and are tracing the accused based on the digital footprints left behind. Authorities have once again warned citizens to exercise caution while making online investments and to verify financial schemes before transferring large sums of money.