What began as a casual social media interaction ended in a major financial loss after cyber fraudsters allegedly cheated a retired petroleum company employee of nearly ₹1.48 crore through a fake online trading scheme.
The victim, who lives near an engineering college in the AIIMS area of Gorakhpur, filed a complaint at the cyber police station after realising he had been duped. Police have registered a case and launched an investigation to trace the digital money trail and identify those behind the trading fraud.
According to the complaint, the victim first came into contact with a woman on Facebook. After initial conversations, she convinced him to continue chatting on WhatsApp. During these exchanges, she introduced what she claimed was a profitable online trading opportunity.
She allegedly promised returns of up to 20% on each transaction. To gain his trust, she shared a web link through which an online shop was created in his name. The platform, shown as ‘Apoorva Multibrand Showroom’, appeared to function like a legitimate online business or trading portal.
Once the shop was set up, the victim was encouraged to invest money in stages. Believing the operation to be genuine, he transferred funds through digital payment modes to bank accounts provided by the accused. Over time, he sent a total of ₹1,47,09,795, thinking it was part of an online investment.
After the payments, the victim noticed that his trading account dashboard showed a balance of nearly ₹2 crore. This apparent profit further convinced him that the business was real. However, when he tried to withdraw the amount, he was informed that his account had been frozen due to technical or regulatory reasons.
The fraudsters then demanded an additional ₹50 lakh, claiming it was required to unfreeze the account and release the funds. Suspicious of the demand, the victim sought explanations, but the accused became evasive and stopped responding clearly.
Realising he had likely been cheated, the victim first filed an online complaint and later submitted a written complaint at the cyber police station. Police said they are examining bank records, mobile numbers, WhatsApp chats, payment links and other digital evidence. Investigators are also probing the origin of the fake online shop and the platforms used to host it.
Officials warned that similar trading scams follow a common pattern, where fake platforms show inflated profits and block withdrawals to extract more money. Citizens have been advised to verify online investment offers and report suspicious activity immediately.
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