Panaji, Oct 25 Two men were arrested in Goa for allegedly cheating a senior citizen of Rs 39.01 lakh through an online investment scheme, a police official said on Sunday.
Accused Sagar Prakash Dholvi and Ajinkya Ravindra Abhang, who were arrested on October 23 and 24, hail from Narayangaon and Alephata areas of neighbouring Maharashtra’s Pune district, he added.
“A case was registered on October 3 following a complaint by a 60-year-old resident of Porvorim in North Goa, who alleged that he was cheated of Rs 39,01,047 between August 21 and September 28. The accused had contacted him on Whatsapp and lured him into joining an online share investments scheme,” said Superintendent of Police (Cyber Crime) Jivba Dalvi.
“The complainant transferred money to multiple bank accounts and was shown fictitious profits on a fraudulent investment application. When he attempted to withdraw his investment and the profits, the accused sought additional payments and then stopped responding,” he said.
The investigation revealed that Rs 10.8 lakh had been transferred to a bank account linked to Abhang, while Rs 12 lakh had gone to Dholvi’s bank account, the official said. A sum of Rs 23.12 lakh belonging to the complainant has been secured, as per police.
The two were arrested under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act after a probe by the Goa Cyber Crime Police team led by sub-inspector Anil Polekar.
The public must exercise caution while dealing with investment offers circulated through social media platforms and messaging applications, particularly those promising guaranteed or unusually high returns.
They should report suspected cyber financial fraud immediately by calling the national cybercrime helpline 1930 or visiting cybercrime.gov.in, police said.
(PTI News)
