Cyberfraud swindle retired employee of Rs51 lakh

Patna: A retired employee of a private company in Patna lost Rs51.75 lakh in a cyberfraud after being lured with promises of high returns from stock market investments.The victim, who requested anonymity to avoid causing distress to his family, filed a complaint with the Patna cyber police station. He had made the investments without informing family members.DSP-cum-SHO of the cyber police station, Nitish Chandra Dharia, said the victim first received a call from an unidentified person claiming to be a stock market expert. The caller promised returns of 30% while assuring that the principal amount would remain safe.“Trusting the claim, the victim began investing in instalments from Feb 2026 as directed by the caller. To gain his confidence, the fraudsters allowed him to withdraw small sums of Rs1,000 to Rs2,000 as ‘profit’ from time to time,” Dharia said.When the victim later attempted to withdraw his investment, the transaction failed. On contacting the caller, he was told that his account had been locked and that additional funds would have to be deposited to unlock it before any withdrawal could be made.Realising that he had been cheated, the victim approached the cyber police and submitted a complaint on June 4.“Based on the complaint, an FIR has been registered and an investigation has begun. Police are tracing the bank accounts to which the money was transferred and trying to identify others linked to the gang,” the DSP said.He urged people not to trust unsolicited calls promising high returns on stock market investments. “Always verify the credentials of investment advisors and avoid transferring money to unidentified accounts. Investments offering assured returns of 30% are a common red flag for fraud,” he added.