Mangaluru: 74-year-old man cheated of Rs 1.77 crore in American commodities investment scam
Mangaluru: A 74-year-old man from the city has allegedly been cheated of Rs 1.77 crore in an online investment scam linked to American commodities trading, Deccan Herald reported on Thursday.
According to the complaint, the victim received a phone call on December 24 last year from a person who identified himself as Shoib Ghauri from a firm named Ventrade.
The caller allegedly promised high returns through investments in American commodities markets and assured that funds transferred in Indian rupees would be converted into US dollars and invested on the victim’s behalf.
Police said the accused remained in contact with the victim through email, WhatsApp, and phone calls. Initially, the complainant invested a small amount and received some returns in his bank account, which increased his confidence in the scheme.
Convinced by the assurances and expecting higher gains, he subsequently transferred larger amounts through RTGS, NEFT, and IMPS to bank accounts provided by the accused.
Between January 5 and February 2, the victim transferred a total of Rs 1,77,64,668.22 to the specified accounts, police said. When the promised returns stopped and communication became irregular, he realised he had been cheated.
A case has been registered at the CEN Police Station in Mangaluru, and further investigation is under way.
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Online fraud: Hotel chef from Udupi cheated of over Rs 1 lakh by WhatsApp contact
Udupi: Udupi City Police have registered a case of online fraud after a 62-year-old hotel chef was allegedly cheated of Rs 1.13 lakh by a woman who befriended him on WhatsApp, claiming to be based in London.
The victim, identified as Pandu Kariappa Poojary, a resident of Kuthpadi in Udupi, was working at a hotel in Mangaluru.
He reportedly came into contact with a woman identifying herself as Emilda William on WhatsApp. During their interactions, she told Poojary that she planned to start a cosmetics and hotel business in India and would meet him during a visit to Mangaluru.
On April 7, Emilda sent Poojary a flight ticket from London to Delhi via WhatsApp. The following day, Poojary received a phone call from a woman who informed him that Emilda had arrived at Delhi airport carrying a demand draft worth Rs 5 crore along with other items. The caller allegedly asked him to pay Rs 70,000.
Subsequently, Poojary also received a call from Emilda, who was reportedly crying and spoke about the situation. Believing the claims, he transferred a total of Rs 1,13,300 in phases using a scanner. He later realised that he had been cheated.
