Kolkata: A 38-year-old man, Arghya Kusum Majumder of Kestopour, lost approximate Rs 20 lakh in an online financial fraud, after he joined two fraudulent WhatsApp groups posing as stock trading platforms.
Majumder lodged a complaint at the Bidhannagar Cyber Crime Police Station on Friday.
According to the FIR, Majumder operates an Instagram account and came across a post claiming stock market opportunities. On July 22, he was added to a WhatsApp group named "333 BOB Caps-group." Believing it to be legitimate, he transferred Rs 12 lakh via IMPS and RTGS, following instructions in the group.
Subsequently, on July 28, he joined another group, "Trustline Strategy Circle 103," purportedly associated with it. Here, he transferred another Rs 7.9 lakh. When Majumder attempted to withdraw profits, fraudsters demanded further payments on the pretext of tax. Realising the fraud, he reported the matter on the National Cyber Reporting platform and filed an FIR under sections of BNS Act, 2023.