Bantwal resident loses ₹42 lakh in investment fraud

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, December 18, 2024: A 44-year-old resident of Bantwal, who is working in Merchant Navy in Singapore, allegedly lost over ₹42 lakh to an online investment fraud.

In a complaint to Dakshina Kannada Cyber Economic and Narcotic Crime Station, Gilbert D’Souza, resident of Kallige in Bantwal, said an unknown woman sent him a link of a website through Telegram app and asked him to invest ₹10,000. He transferred ₹10,000 on March 15 and he got returns for the investment. Then he invested ₹42.42 lakh between March 15 and August 15 to which he failed to get any return.

Realising that he has been cheated, Mr. D’Souza called the cybercrime portal 1930 and lodged a complaint. He also send to the portal the screenshots of the amount he transferred to the fraudster. The CEN police station registered his complaint for offences punishable under Sections 66 (c), 66 (D) and Sections 318 (2) and 318(4) on December 16.

The police followed the money trail that was linked to 10 bank accounts related to the fraudster and did not find any money in the accounts.