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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New Delhi (PTI): Actor Sanjay Dutt on Monday appeared before the National Commission for Women (NCW) in connection with the controversy over the song 'Sarke Chunar Teri Sarke' and submitted a written apology, expressing regret for any "unintended" harm caused to society.

During the hearing, held under NCW chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, the commission raised concerns over alleged vulgarity and indecent representation of women in the song from the movie "KD The Devil" and questioned issues of intent, awareness and accountability.

The chairperson emphasised whether adequate due diligence was undertaken before participating in content that could be perceived as promoting objectification of women, while also underlining the responsibility of senior and influential public figures in ensuring that their work remains within the bounds of legal and societal standards.

As a corrective measure, Dutt committed to sponsoring the education of 50 tribal girl children as part of efforts towards social welfare and women's empowerment, the NCW said in a statement.

He also assured the commission that his future artist agreements would include mandatory legal due diligence provisions to ensure dignified and appropriate representation of women and children in films and related creative projects.

Actor Nora Fatehi, who was also summoned, could not appear as she is currently abroad and has sought a fresh date for the hearing.

On April 6, other individuals associated with the song, including director Kiran Kumar alias Prem, lyricist Raqueeb Alam and representatives of KVN Production Company Gautam K M and Suprith, appeared before the commission and submitted their apologies.

The NCW underscored that while artistic freedom is important, it must be exercised with responsibility and sensitivity, reiterating the need for accountability in content reaching wide public audiences and reaffirming its commitment to safeguarding the dignity and representation of women.

The Hindi version of the song, released on March 15 on YouTube, drew public ire for its sexually explicit lyrics.

After the outrage, the makers deleted the Hindi version of the song from YouTube, although it was widely played and shared across various platforms.

Fatehi, in a video later, distanced herself from the song, saying she shot the video for the Kannada version and her permission was not taken to use it in the Hindi version. The lyricist, singer and the director also apologised.

The issue was brought up in Lok Sabha during Question Hour by Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Anand Bhadoria last month.

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the song was already banned and the government was ready to take action against such vulgarity.

"KD The Devil" is a Kannada film, dubbed in four languages, including Hindi. It will release on April 30. The film features Dhruva Sarja, V Ravichandran, Ramesh Aravind, Shilpa Shetty, and Dutt.