Tarun Karthick
Campbell Bay, 21 November 2024
An army personnel stationed at Brichgunj has fallen victim to an elaborate online scam, losing ₹7.26 lakh in what appeared to be an investment opportunity. A case has been registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station in South Andaman based on the soldier’s complaint.
The incident began on September 22, 2024, when the victim was added to a WhatsApp group named ‘Q-65 Third Investor Upgrade Training Camp’. The group administrator then initiated contact through a WhatsApp call. Introducing herself as Sameera Sinha, the scammer detailed an enticing investment plan and directed the victim to download an app called ‘International Equity Broker’ via a provided link.
Following her instructions, the victim created an account using his mobile number as his nickname. Initially, a sum of ₹50,000 was deposited into the account by the scammer, yielding a displayed profit of ₹72,000 in the app. To establish trust, a portion of the profit was withdrawn by the scammer, leaving ₹4,908 in the account, which was successfully withdrawn by the victim into his account.
Encouraged by the apparent success, the victim was persuaded to invest more substantial sums into several accounts provided by the fraudsters. Over multiple transactions, he deposited ₹7.26 lakh into four different bank accounts. The deposits were allegedly facilitated under the guise of increased returns on investment.
The victim became suspicious when subsequent withdrawal attempts were met with demands for additional payments, allegedly for taxes. Realising the fraudulent nature of the scheme, he lodged a complaint with the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal and sought police intervention.
The Cyber Crime Police Station has registered an FIR under Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of BNS, 2023.
The incident highlights the increasing sophistication of online scams targeting unsuspecting individuals.