A resident of Jharkhand was defrauded of around 3 crore rupees (2.98 crore) in a cyber scam involving metal trading. The fraud was conducted through the Telegram app, where victims were lured with the promise of substantial returns on investment. The victim reported the incident on July 28 to the cybercrime police station under the Jharkhand CID. The CID investigated the case, leading to the arrest of Dinesh Kumar, a cybercriminal from Jamshedpur, and the seizure of several devices, including mobile phones and laptops.
The cybercriminals used a sophisticated method to carry out the scam, creating a link on the Global India site on Telegram. When clicked, this link opened an online account on the Chicago Board of Options Exchange. The fraudsters then induced victims to invest in metal trading with the promise of high profits, resulting in the fraudulent transfer of approximately 3 crore rupees (2.98 crore) from various accounts. The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal provided information that the accused’s bank account received 1.15 crore rupees within a single day and was linked to two other investment fraud cases totaling 3.29 crore rupees, registered in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand.
The investigation is underway to identify all individuals, bank accounts, and digital assets associated with the cybercrime network. The Jharkhand CID has issued a warning to the public, advising them not to click on investment offers promising high returns on social media or to register on unknown platforms. They also cautioned against sending money to UPI IDs or bank accounts shared on social media. The public is encouraged to use only government-approved applications and to report any cyber fraud immediately by calling the cyber helpline number 1930 or filing a complaint at www.cybercrime.gov.in.
Prior to this incident, a cybercriminal in Ranchi impersonated a central investigation agency officer, threatening a retired individual with arrest in a 300 crore fake scam and money laundering case, and defrauded them of approximately 50 lakh rupees. Ravi Hasmukhlal Godhaniya, a 27-year-old cyber criminal from Junagadh, Gujarat, was arrested in this case.