In a distressing incident, a female doctor has fallen prey to cybercriminals, losing a jaw-dropping amount of Rs 1.79 crore. The fraudster promised the doctor a significant profit from stock market investment.
A 45-year-old female doctor is a resident of Girinagar, Dharwad. She received an unsought WhatsApp call from an unknown individual on November 29, 2023.
The fraudster, identified as a financial advisor, allured the doctor with promises of lucrative returns on her investments in the stock market. In particular, the caller suggested investing in the IPO of ‘Planet Image International Company for significant profits. The female doctor was convinced by the caller’s suggestion and willingly joined a WhatsApp group.
Tragically, this seemingly harmless interaction took a dark turn as the cybercriminals successfully extracted sensitive data related to the doctor’s bank accounts. Subsequently, Rs 1.79 crore was illegally transferred from various bank accounts linked to the victim. It was revealed that the fraudster was able to collect the doctor's bank account details after she joined the stock market. How the criminals obtained such crucial information remains unclear, prompting the police to search deeper into the investigation.
Realizing that she had been duped, the female doctor reached out to the cyber police station and filed a complaint against the unknown fraudster. Acting on the complaint, the police lodged an FIR under relevant sections of the IPC.
The cybercrime police have launched an investigation in connection with the case.
Such cases emphasize the need for heightened awareness and security measures against such incidents.
A similar case happened in December 2023, when an accused duped a woman doctor under the pretext of arranging funds for a hospital in Thane. Then, the woman doctor had registered a complaint alleging that four persons, including two doctors, had duped her of Rs 1.54 crore. The Bhiwandi police had registered under IPC Sections 406 for criminal breach of trust, 420 for cheating, and 34 for common intention.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Komal Bhoi)
