KOCHI: Close on the heels of the registration of a case in which a Kochi-based pharmaceutical company owner lost Rs 25 crore in an online investment scam, a series of online investment frauds were reported across the city on Tuesday. Three individuals, including senior citizens, collectively lost over Rs 85.5 lakh in the same type of online investment fraud scheme. The victims include a resident of Udayamperoor, who lost Rs 65.45 lakh, while residents of Thrikkakara and Elamakkara lost Rs 12.5 lakh and Rs 7.5 lakh, respectively.
In all cases, the victims were duped by fraudsters who promised very high returns on investments, said a source with Kochi city police.
The Udayamperoor resident, a senior citizen, was targeted by fraudsters who promised 8–15% profit through pre-market trading in Indian and US stock markets. After convincing the victim, he was added to a WhatsApp group managed by four administrators, where an individual posing as ‘Arya’ began sending promotional messages. The victim was then directed to download a fake trading app named ‘Cantillon Capital’ via a suspicious link shared in the group.
“Through this platform, the accused convinced the victim to invest a large sum of money. He ended up transferring Rs 65.54 lakh through 16 transactions between July and August 2025,” said an officer with Udayamperoor police station.
In the second case, a 37-year-old man, originally from Kottappuram in Kollam, and now residing in Kanayannur, was tricked after he clicked on an Instagram advertisement promoting low-cost online trading lessons.
Upon clicking the ad, he was added to a WhatsApp group named ‘5Paisa v592 Traders Hub’, and one of the group admins introduced herself as ‘Tanusree’ and convinced the victim that high profits could be earned by investing in online trading.
“Another person named ‘Sandeep’ later explained the investment scheme to the victim. Following their instructions, the man transferred `12.5 lakh through 10 transactions to various bank accounts,” said an officer with Thrikkakara police station. In the third case, a 66-year-old woman lost `7.5 lakh after she was lured into an online share trading scheme under the name ‘Naka Solutions’. The Kochi City police have filed cases in all incidents.
The city police on Tuesday formed a special team to probe the case in which a Kochi-based businessman lost R25 crore in an online investment scam. The SIT will be led by Cyber ACP Sulfikkar and Cyber Police Station House Officer P A Shemeer Khan.
“Though the cyber squad has only limited personnel, we have now deployed our full strength for the investigation, considering the seriousness of the case and the magnitude of financial loss involved,” said an officer with the Kochi city cyber police station. A source with Kochi city police said that initial findings reveal that the victim had transferred funds into multiple bank accounts, with a high volume of transactions recorded. In the early stages, the businessman received returns amounting to around R1 crore, in several instalments, which led him to reinvest the money, believing the scheme to be genuine.
“The victim is reluctant to disclose his identity as it would affect his business reputation. SIT is now planning to look deeper into his business firms and associated financial dealings as part of the probe,” said the officer.