Gujarat’s Dahod Cyber Crime Police have arrested a man from Bihar’s Buxar district in connection with an alleged ₹10.20 lakh online stock-market investment fraud.
The accused, identified as Shailesh Kumar Mishra, was arrested from Fua Ghat in Buxar on October 15 with assistance from the local Town police.
After completing legal formalities, Gujarat Police took him to Dahod on October 16 for further investigation.
Police allege that a Dahod resident was persuaded to invest money through a fake trading application after being promised high returns from the stock market.
The allegations remain under investigation and have not been proved in court.
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Victim Allegedly Lured With High Stock-Market Returns
The case was registered after Pratimkumar Kantibhai Sangda, a resident of Jhalod in Dahod district, complained that he had lost ₹10.20 lakh in an online investment scheme.
According to police, the victim was promised substantial profits from stock-market trading.
He was allegedly directed to use an investment application that appeared to show trading activity and returns.
Such fake platforms can closely resemble genuine brokerage applications.
They may display fabricated account balances, profits and transaction histories even though no real shares are being purchased.
This can encourage victims to transfer increasingly larger amounts.
Police have not yet disclosed how the victim was initially contacted or whether WhatsApp, Telegram or another messaging platform was used.
Investigators are focusing on the money trail and the accounts through which the allegedly defrauded amount moved.
Bank Transactions Led Police to Buxar
Dahod Cyber Crime Police traced financial transactions linked to the case during their investigation.
The trail eventually led investigators to Buxar, where they coordinated with local police before arresting Mishra.
Buxar Town Police Station SHO Manoj Kumar Singh confirmed that the Gujarat police team carried out the arrest with local assistance.
The accused was subsequently taken to Gujarat.
Police are now examining what role Mishra allegedly played in the operation.
Investigators have not yet publicly said whether he is accused of directly communicating with the victim, operating the fake application or supplying bank accounts used to receive the money.
That distinction will be important as the investigation progresses.
Cyber fraud networks often divide tasks among several people, including those who contact victims, manage fraudulent trading platforms and arrange bank accounts for receiving stolen funds.
How Fake Trading Apps Create the Illusion of Profit
Online investment scams increasingly use applications or websites designed to look like legitimate trading platforms.
A victim may be shown an account dashboard indicating that an investment has generated unusually high profits.
But those figures can be completely controlled by the fraudsters.
The money transferred by the victim may never enter the stock market at all.
Instead, it may move directly into bank accounts controlled by members or intermediaries of the scam network.
Fraudsters may initially allow a small withdrawal to build confidence.
Once the victim invests a larger amount, withdrawals can suddenly be blocked.
The victim may then be asked to pay additional amounts labelled as tax, commission, account activation charges or processing fees.
Paying those demands often results in further losses rather than recovery of the original investment.
Police Probe Possible Wider Network
Dahod Police are now examining where the ₹10.20 lakh went after it left the complainant’s account.
Investigators are scrutinising bank transactions to identify the beneficiary accounts and any other individuals connected to them.
Police are also trying to determine whether the same accounts or digital infrastructure were used to target other victims.
The arrest in Bihar shows how online investment fraud can operate across state borders.
A victim may be located in Gujarat, while bank-account operators or other suspects may be hundreds of kilometres away.
That makes transaction records, mobile numbers and digital evidence particularly important for investigators.
The case also highlights the risks of investment applications circulated outside official channels.
Legitimate securities intermediaries in India are subject to regulation, and investors can independently verify brokers before transferring money.
Promises of guaranteed or unusually high stock-market returns should be treated with particular caution.
What this means for you:
Never transfer investment money solely on the basis of profits displayed inside an unfamiliar app. Verify the broker independently through official regulatory channels, and stop immediately if withdrawals are blocked and additional payments are demanded.
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