Pune man loses Rs 77.74 lakh in gold mining, forex trading scam
Pune: A 52-year-old man was defrauded of ₹77.74 lakh after falling for a scam promising high returns on investments in gold mining and forex trading. The fraud came to light after he approached the Pune cyber crime police, who registered a case last week.
According to the complaint, the victim received a call on August 20 last year from an unidentified woman who introduced him to the scheme, stating that he could start investing with ₹50,000. Days later, he was sent a web link and asked to register using his personal and bank details. Upon registration, an investment account was created on a trading portal.
On August 28, he invested ₹50,000 and saw the amount converted into dollars, which he could track on the platform. Believing it to be legitimate, he continued investing, making 51 transactions over four months and transferring ₹77.74 lakh to various bank accounts on the scammers’ instructions.
The victim later found that his trading account reflected an increased amount of ₹2.57 crore. Initially, he was able to withdraw ₹25,200, but from December 21, his withdrawal requests were denied. When he questioned the scammers, they demanded ₹26 lakh as a "risk security deposit" under the pretext of securing funds from money laundering and illegal activities.
Realising he had been cheated, the man filed a complaint with the Pune cyber crime police. A case has been registered under s. 318 (cheating) and s. 319 (cheating by personation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with s. 66D (cheating by personation using a computer resource) of the Information Technology Act.
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Conspiracy afoot to 'tarnish' image of Dharmasthala: Deputy CM DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Aug 14 (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said there was a “conspiracy” to tarnish the image of Dharmasthala.
His comments come amid an ongoing investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into serious allegations of mass burials in the revered temple town in Dakshina Kannada district.
“A conspiracy is being hatched to destroy hundreds of years of legacy. It is not correct to tarnish someone just like that. It has all happened due to one complainant,” he said.
Noting that some Congress MLAs have called for action against those involved in the slander campaign at the legislature party meeting, he said, “ I have told them that action must be taken against those who are indulging in a slander campaign. The CM has also said that action must be taken against such people.”
“I have information on this case. Religious feelings should not be hurt in any manner. Culprits must be punished,” he told reporters, according to a release from his office.
Responding to a question, Shivakumar said the Congress party will not allow the image of any religious place to be tarnished.
“We see everyone equally when it comes to religion,” he added.
The SIT, formed by the state government, is probing claims of mass murder, rape, and mass burials in Dharmasthala over the past two decades.
The complainant, a former sanitation worker whose identity has not been revealed, alleged that between 1995 and 2014 he was forced to handle bodies—including women and minors—and that some showed signs of sexual assault. He has given a statement before a magistrate.
As part of the probe, the SIT has been conducting exhumations at multiple locations identified by the complainant-witness in the forested areas along the banks of the Netravathi River in Dharmasthala, where some skeletal remains have been found at two sites so far.
