Kolkata: Cops are probing two online investment fraud complaints from Anandapur and Hastings, in which victims reportedly lost around Rs 50 lakh through WhatsApp groups, social media advertisements and trading applications.
In Anandapur, a resident of Urbana told police he was added to a WhatsApp group and introduced to a trading app named "Maverlck". The complainant said the group was run through multiple administrators, and a person called Aranabh Thakur conducted sessions on identifying stocks for profitable trades. The group had around 400 members and displayed successful transactions.
Cops said the victim first deposited Rs 50,000. After being shown profits, he transferred an additional amount of Rs 4 lakh. The victim said he was then moved to a smaller WhatsApp group that provided daily stock information and continued to show profits on the app. He was then persuaded to apply for an IPO on the assurance that 10% of the amount would be allotted and the remaining would reflect as credit on the app.
The victim alleged that after he paid Rs 11 lakh on Dec 12 last year, Rs 12.3 lakh on Dec 14 and Rs 10.1 lakh on Dec 15. He applied for withdrawal, but the request was rejected. He reported total a loss of Rs 37.3 lakh.
In Hastings, a 40-year-old resident of Turf View, told police he clicked a Facebook advertisement on Oct 28 and was directed to join a WhatsApp group called "Value Discovery M-53". He alleged that a group member, Klara Sterdle, promised 10% daily returns and created a demat account for him. The victim said he began investing and transferred Rs 13,35,700 by Nov 25. When he tried to withdraw funds, he was asked to pay a commission of Rs 7,28,975, after which he alerted the cyber police.