Cyber criminals allegedly duped a 77-year-old man of ₹1.49 crore after drawing him into a fake online trading scheme operated through a Telegram group and a fraudulent investment website. The Cyber Crime Branch in Bhopal has registered a case and initiated a technical investigation to trace the money trail and identify those behind the racket.
Police said the victim, Dinesh Kumar Shukla, a resident of Padmanath Nagar in the VT Campus Huzur Aishbagh area, was contacted on June 12, 2025, by unknown individuals who added him to a Telegram group claiming to offer expert guidance on stock market trading and high-return investments.
Within the group, several members posed as trading specialists, posting daily messages promising substantial profits through shares and other financial instruments. The victim was persuaded to register on a platform called “Landprime”, which investigators later found to be a fake website designed to mimic legitimate trading portals.
According to cyber officials, Shukla was asked to download apps linked to the platform and begin investing small amounts initially. Soon after, the website dashboard started displaying profits, reinforcing his confidence in the scheme.
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Acting on instructions from the so-called trading experts, the senior citizen began transferring money on different dates to multiple bank accounts. Police said the increasing figures shown on the dashboard convinced him that his funds were secure and earning returns.
Trouble began when he attempted to withdraw his invested amount along with the displayed profits. Instead of processing the withdrawal, the platform demanded additional payments under various pretexts, including tax charges, processing fees and account verification costs.
Misled by these claims, the victim continued transferring funds through bank transactions, UPI and RTGS. In total, ₹1,49,35,273 was sent to several accounts linked to the fraudsters.
When Shukla tried to initiate another withdrawal, the website stopped functioning. Around the same time, administrators of the Telegram group and other contacts became unreachable. Realising he had been cheated, he approached the Cyber Crime Branch in Bhopal and lodged a formal complaint.
Preliminary investigation has revealed that the entire amount was routed through nearly 26 different bank accounts, a tactic commonly used by cyber gangs to fragment funds and evade detection. Cyber officials said technical analysis, call data records and banking details are now being examined to identify the beneficiaries and operational handlers of the scam.
Investigators suspect the fraud is part of a larger organised network operating across multiple locations, with distinct roles for victim engagement, account management and fund movement.
“The accused created a false sense of profitability by manipulating dashboard figures and then extracted more money whenever the victim tried to withdraw funds,” an officer familiar with the probe said, adding that digital evidence is being collected to map the full conspiracy.
The Cyber Crime Branch has urged citizens, particularly senior citizens, to remain cautious of unsolicited investment offers circulating on Telegram and other social media platforms. Officials warned that promises of guaranteed or unusually high returns are often red flags and advised people to verify platforms independently before investing.
Residents have also been encouraged to report suspicious activity immediately to cyber helplines or local police stations to improve chances of freezing accounts and recovering funds.
Further investigation is underway.
About the author – Ayesha Aayat is a law student and contributor covering cybercrime, online frauds, and digital safety concerns. Her writing aims to raise awareness about evolving cyber threats and legal responses.
