Pune: A computer engineer was defrauded of ₹1.15 crore by cyber criminals who lured him with promises of lucrative stock market investments.

The 45-year-old engineer, a resident of Dhayari, filed a complaint with the cyber police, leading to the registration of a case under the Information Technology Act.

According to the police, the complainant resides in a society in the Dhayari area. On June 30, the cyber criminals sent a link to his mobile number.

Upon opening the link, the computer engineer was added to a group that provided stock market information. The group was led by a criminal named Rajat Chopra, who gave him details about investment schemes in the stock market. He was then asked to open an app (AppStock) on his mobile.

Through this app, he transferred a total of ₹1.15 crore to the criminals' accounts over time. However, he did not receive any returns after transferring the money.

Realizing that he had been defrauded, he lodged a complaint with the police. Senior Police Inspector Swapnali Shinde is investigating the case.

Over the past year, there has been an increase in fraud cases involving promises of stock market investments. The police have repeatedly urged citizens to ignore such deceptive offers, but it appears that people are still falling prey to these cyber criminals.

Interestingly, in June 2024, a police constable from the Pune City Police Department fell victim to such a scam, losing seven lakh rupees. He had came across an advertisement on social media promising triple returns on investments in the stock market.