CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu police cyber crime wing have arrested three people on charges of swindling a Madurai resident of Rs 92.2 lakh through an online trading scam.
Apart from Tamil Nadu, the investigation revealed that the accused were involved in cyber offences in other states, including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Nagaland, and Odisha. Cops unearthed fraudulent transactions to the tune of approximately Rs 3 crore through the bank account they had created to launder the swindled amount, police said in an official statement.
In July, the Madurai resident complained to the cyber crime wing about being defrauded of Rs 92.2 lakh after responding to a Facebook advertisement promoting a high-profit online trading scheme. Trusting the claims, the petitioner transferred funds across multiple bank accounts. He realised that he had been deceived when the promised returns were not provided and lodged a cyber complaint with the Madurai District Cyber Crime Police Station for legal action and recovery of the lost amount.
To identify the culprits involved in the case a special team conducted an inquiry on the frozen amount of Rs 21.1 lakh found in various bank accounts associated with the suspects. When the victim’s transaction details were analysed, it was discovered that cyber criminals, identified as V Nithish Kumar and L Chandrasekaran from Namakkal and K Suresh from Sauripalayam in Coimbatore, used a Bandhan Bank account for their fraudulent activities. The investigation uncovered that these individuals had opened a current account named “Murugan Traders” under Nithish Kumar’s proprietorship and earned lakhs as commissions for each transaction amounting to Rs 1 crore.
The special team went to Namakkal and Coimbatore and arrested the suspects. Items seized during the operation included laptops, mobile phones, SIM cards, bank passbooks, and ATM cards used in the crime. The accused were remanded in judicial custody. Further actions to apprehend the remaining individuals involved in the crime are underway.
Citizens have been advised by cops to stay cautious of WhatsApp groups claiming to be from popular trading platforms, as testimonials posted in such groups are fabricated. If you have been added by someone, leave the group immediately, police added.